(Ed. Note: As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue, we're bound to lose some friends along the journey. We've asked for these losers, gone but not forgotten, to be eulogized by the people who knew the teams best: The fans who hated them the most. Here is are the Boston Bruins bloggers from Days of Y'Orr, fondly recalling the 2011-12 Washington Capitals. Again, this was not written by us ... OK, by all of us. Also: This is a roast and you will be offended by it, so don't take it so seriously.) The definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results … like believing an Eastern Conference Finals game will be played in Washington D.C. after the turn of the century. Welcome to the Washington Capitals Eulogy. We would, firstly, like to welcome all the Capitals fans in attendance. If this were 2003, we're sure the room would be less crowded, but we have enough chairs that all 300 of you should be cozy. We'll have our PA announcer say something whenever we need you to cheer throughout the eulogy, just in case you're as lost here as you are during an actual hockey game. We'll try to refrain from making "Alexander Ovechkin looks like the lovechild of the Geico Caveman and Adam Sandler's boss from 'Happy Gilmore'" jokes, but just know that they're there; they're there. Before the season began, the media always plays its favorite guessing game known as "NHL Predictions," and every season the same ole story happens. People pick the Washington Capitals to finish first in their division and either first or second in the Eastern Conference with Pittsburgh somewhere around them. Every year, writers pat Alexander Ovechkin on the backside and immediately pencil him in for a 90-100 point season while scoring 50-60 goals and being Russia's version of Superman. Well if Ovechkin is the Russian Superman, then clearly his kryptonite is the NHL playoffs. And every year, the same thing happens to the Capitals. Ovechkin careens himself into the boards throughout the regular season en route to a Southeast Division Championship and then chokes when the playoffs start. 2007-2008: 1st in the Southeast, Lost in Conference Quarterfinals to Philly (4-3) But they're the best team in the NHL (or so everyone is told). The beginning of the season, at least the first seven games into the season, started to prove everyone right. The Caps went 7-2 in October and Capitals fans started planning the parade to roll through DC. It was a magical time in Washington. Bruce Boudreau was still behind the bench, screaming obscenities and splattering the back of his players' jerseys with whatever condiment he ate the night before, Ovechkin was calling Boudreau a "fat [expletive]" because his coach benched him in OT for being lazy and the Capitals were beginning to play their yearly "shuffling of the goalies" game. November 28, 2011. A day that will live in infamy. With a 12-9-1 record and a 5-1 ass whooping at the hands of a Buffalo Sabres team that was so beaten down you'd think they represented House Stark, the Capitals told Bruce Boudreau to clean out his belongings, pack up his deep freezer and hit the bricks. It was clear that his 'fly by the seat of your husky Toughskin jeans' offense wasn't going to cut it anymore and the Capitals needed to bring structure to their hockey club. Enter a Capitals "great." A man who would not take any flak from any of his players. A man a cut above the rest in terms of the way he played the game. A man who is known to deliver an elbow to the face of adversity, should it rear the back of its ugly head. The Capitals employed Pierre Turgeon's best friend and Sunday croquet partner: Dale Hunter. Under Hunter, the Capitals learned to play a defensive style and crept into the playoffs while Buffalo played their favorite game of "let's pretend we're the band on the Titanic" and squandered games away. Ottawa gave the Capitals a chance to face the Bruins, since Ottawa wasn't too pleased of their 1-5 regular season record against Boston, and so the #2 vs #7 matchup was upon us. Let's refer back to Dale Hunter for a minute. Every check he threw in his career was an attempt to concuss or injure someone, so you can see why he was so easily confused when he thought Tim Thomas tried concussing Nicklas Backstrom when Backstrom was hacking away at Timmy's glove hand post-whistle during the first round. Thomas thought to himself (with his head down, no less) "You know what? I should probably turn this dude's brain into pudding." It's not like Thomas has ever fed a forward a waffle sandwich before for trying to take liberties with him before. Just ask Chimera. And Alexandre Burrows. And Sean Avery. And Andrei Kostitsyn. And one of the Magical Vancouver Gnomes. Who knows how many other people he's fed waffles too. Every one of those was purposely intended to give Marc Savard and Nathan Horton a partner to play Mario Kart Wii with, right? But the 7th seed, who was really a three seed that underachieved all year, took down the defending Stanley Cup Champions in seven games and took the Eastern Conference's #1 seed to the brink of elimination. Fortunately, the Rangers realized that Alexander Ovechkin can't defend himself from a cold and took it to him in Game 7. And now, we come to the part of the eulogy where it's time to say goodbye. Goodbye Alexander Ovechkin. Not only are you one of the Top 3 douchebags to ever don the NHL shield, but you're also going to live another calendar year without being named a Stanley Cup Champion. We would like to thank you for being the reason why the Rangers scored their game-winning, series-clinching goal in Game 7 on Saturday night. Without your lack of a defensive mind and the ability to know anything on your side of the ice, you could be playing Monday night in New Jersey instead of heading back to Russia to cut another awful rap video. Goodbye Braden Holtby. We're not sure how the NHL will survive the next two rounds without their media darling and Hockey Jesus, but part of me thinks that it will. Speaking of survival, we're not sure that Pierre McGuire can stand between the glass and not lovingly stare at his binky anymore. Soon enough McGuire will end up on Holtby's front lawn with a radio held high above his head screaming "I JUST CAN'T QUIT YOU." Hey, if it means we don't have to watch Pierre on TV anymore it's worth it. We can tell you one thing, the NHL is going to miss those dressy glove saves that Holtby enjoyed doling out. He dressed those things up so much that you'd think he was about to take them to prom and then their virginity. His stick side though? That can be found in the dumpster from the prom night mistake. Goodbye, Braden Holtby's father. Your impression of Stephen Hawking after your son lost a triple-overtime game in the second round will never be forgotten. Goodbye, Nicklas Backstrom. In Round 1 you were suspended by the NHL for cross-checking a player in the face when the game was over. The best part about it was that you had no idea why you were getting suspended. We would make a concussion joke here, but can't since concussions are no longer funny. We can only hope that the Swedish education system is teaching their students a better way to lie since whatever one you told Shanny was awful. Also, thank you for the one goal in seven games in the second round. Goodbye, Alexander Semin. Seriously, goodbye. Whoever is going to pay you the $6M you're making now is a fool. Goodbye, Mike Green. We hope your offseason gig as the backup bass player for Good Charlotte works out better than your ability to play defense. Goodbye, Dennis Wideman. It's apparent that being named an All-Star means nothing in the NHL these days because you were the second-biggest defensive liability on the ice not named Alexander Ovechkin. If you owned a bakery, we would hope that your item of the day is a turnover, because it's the only thing that you can produce on a regular basis -- tried and true.
Goodbye, Jason Chimera. You did the world a favor by giving Brad Marchand a man check. We love Brad-o over at Days of Y'Orr HQ but can you imagine him going all Duggar-family crazy and siring little "champians?" Twenty little Marchand's running around, clipping school teachers and chirping kids in the sandbox? Yikes. Goodbye, Ted Leonsis. We're going to miss your passion and energy for Capitals hockey. What we're not going to miss is your terrible blog posts, like you're the textual version of Herb Brooks. Apparently the Stanley Cup Champions aren't the only teams not getting the calls, right? The New York Rangers, who haven't sniffed a Stanley Cup since 1994 defeated your team in seven games. We're sure you'll come out and complain about something sooner or later. Luckily your team plays in Washington so the Capitals aren't the worst franchise in the city. DC still has the Wizards...which...you own. ...Awkward... And, aw, how fitting. Goodbye Washington Capitals "fans." Year after year you remind us of the audience of a Shakespearean Tragedy. Forced to witness the downfall of their skilled, yet flawed heroes; powerless to stop the inevitable flood of tears that force the President and Congress to retreat to higher ground. Your lovable screw-ups throughout the playoffs remind us that your fanbase is so green that it still pees grass between intermission. We understand that hockey can be a tough sport to grasp and there were a few understandable rule issues that troubled you. When you're new to following a sport some of the details can get lost in the fray, such as why Backstrom was suspended for a cross-check...to the face...at the end of a game...
If you listen close enough, you can still hear Wes Johnson in his empty living room telling Caps' fans to stand up and cheer when the Rangers took a penalty because it's obvious they don't know what's going on. You can still hear that schmuck with the horn blasting out patterned blows to get the fans whipped into a "frenzy." If you really strain your eyes, you can see the "Rock the Red" signs and the shirts, and you can still hear the chants that Calgary Washington came up with. But, alas, there's always next year when ESPN will devote 20 seconds to pick the Washington Capitals as the best team in the Eastern Conference. There's always next year when Alexander Ovechkin can score between 50-60 goals. There's always next year when the Capitals can lose in the first two rounds and then the "good" people of Washington can focus on their cherry blossoms and filibusters. There's always next year, folks. Enjoy counting down to 8 and chanting "Ovi! Ovi! Ovi!" when there's 2 outs left in the bottom of the 7th inning during a Nationals game. On the bright side, you still have those pretty Southeast Division championship banners! |  |
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Western Conference fans often complain about how close the teams in the East are to one another, and how the short distance between cities makes travel a cinch and limits fatigue. But being a short drive away from your opponent has its drawbacks too, most notably, that enemy fans can get inside your building very, very easily. This is an issue that the New Jersey Devils are meeting head-on. The Devils have launched "No Blue", a campaign to protect home ice by encouraging Devils fans to deny tickets to Rangers fans that might come in from the city and cheer for the wrong team. The Devils' website outlines 3 strategies by which fans can protect home ice by ensuring the Rock is packed with red. Strategy number one makes it very clear that the Devils mean business, because they're recommending visits to the local blogs and message boards. From the Devils:
Ask for pictures and verify loyalties? This is serious. If you're looking for a good test to verify loyalties, bring a friend to the sale, then stand in one corner of the room dressed in red, have your friend stand in the other corner of the room dressed in blue, and call the buyer over. If he goes to your friend, he's secretly a Rangers fan. (It works for dogs.) The second way you can protect home ice is by calling the Devils Fan Experience Team Line at 855-DEV-ARMY. They'll help you sell your tickets to good, respectful, God-fearing Devils fans. One imagines the number will also operate as a crisis hotline for people tempted to sell their tickets to Rangers fans.
And the third way you, as a Devils fan, can help to protect home ice, of course, is to buy your tickets immediately, before those heinous Rangers fans get their grubby mitts on them. Now this campaign probably isn't going to work, at least insofar as keeping Rangers fans out. As motivated as Devils fans might be to protect home ice, Rangers fans will be even more driven to buy tickets now. "No Blue" pretty much guarantees espionage and deception. But since this is effectively just a really clever ad campaign designed to draw attention to the Devils, I'd say it's already a success. s/t to Deadspin. UPDATE: It appears the Devils have deleted the page. Here is the page they deleted. |  |
Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.
• Yeah, about that … • The latest Bovada odds on winning the Stanley Cup: Los Angeles Kings (7/5); New York Rangers (11/5); New Jersey Devils (10/3); Phoenix Coyotes (6/1). • Neither Game 7 of the conference finals will appear on NBC, but rather on NBC Sports Network. [Puck The Media] • Simon Gagne has been cleared for contact for the Los Angeles Kings, but won't begin practicing quite yet. [LA Kings Insider] • Who might coach the Washington Capitals now that Dale Hunter's out? How about Marc Crawford, Ron Wilson or Patrick Roy? [NHL] • Nikita Filatov will play in the KHL next season, which is probably the best thing for all parties. [TSN] • Here's Yahoo! Sports' own Nick Cotsonika on the Evolution of John Tortorella: "Tortorella's style has worked with the team because he has the right players, stays consistent and, yes, shows another side of himself behind closed doors." [Y! Sports] • It's only $900 to watch the Devils and Rangers at the Garden. Wow. [NYT] • Dater picks the Devils in six: "The Rangers have lived dangerously this spring, barely escaping their series against Ottawa and Washington. You can only do that for so long. The Devils have more offensive depth than those teams, and they like to forecheck. Brodeur has won four conference titles. Lundqvist? Zero." [SI] • Ken Campbell on how the Rangers' shot-blocking style is terrible for the NHL: "I think the New York Rangers are bad for hockey. And if we've learned anything about the NHL over the past century, it's that once one style of play garners some success, teams will be lined up to steal the blueprint." [THN] • Patrick Kane's drunken weekend in Madison has now become fodder for the Chicago media, urging for the Blackhawks to trade him. From Steve Rosenbloom: "Everyone at the Madhouse on Madison would have a reason for wanting to be rid of Kane. The reasons would be legit, too, more legit than Kane playing center. So, maybe the Hawks' silence isn't because they're hoping this goes away but because they're fighting to see who gets the honor of making the problem child go away." [Tribune]
• Dark Blue Jacket on Todd Richards staying with Columbus: "What Richards did bring to the table, and I saw it with my own eyes, was the ability to take an indifferent (depressed?) roster and inject a little enjoyment into the game. The differential in skill between the good teams and the bad teams in the NHL exists, to be sure, but I maintain that it's not as huge as one would think. A winning attitude is a huge component. Part of a winning attitude is a level of excitement at coming to the rink, practicing hard and working together to achieve a common goal. Talented teams with bad attitudes don't do well. " [FS Ohio] • Should Dallas Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk be on the hot seat? [Defending Big D] • Jonathan Wills on Marek Zidlicky not completely sucking for the Devils. [Grantland] • Kings blogger Eric Cooney on the Phoenix Coyotes: "Shane Doan is going to be a major thorn. He's very Dustin Brown like but just from the looks of game one he has a shorter fuse. He'll hit, he'll score, and if he can't do those, he'll try to draw penalties. Once again, discipline will be key." [Pro Sports Blogging] • Ellen Etchingham in on the Bring Back The Two-Minute "Major" bandwagon. [Backhand Shelf] • An open letter to Winnipeg Jets fans, re: their feeling toward the Phoenix Coyotes: "I find it confounding to see that some continue to have strong feelings, both negative and positive, for a team that really has nothing to do with Winnipeg. If someone wants to cheer for the Coyotes because they like the team, cool. On the other hand, I find it hard to contemplate cheering for them just because of once upon a time. Conversely, if you're harbouring enough resentment to this day that you're burning team jerseys, then I suggest you might need to grow up a little bit." [THW] • Great breakdown on the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers from two of the best writers on those respective beats. [Rangers Rants] • Brandon Dubinsky visits the New York Rangers' weight room, but doesn't look like he's close to ready to piss off the Devils. [NYDN] • "Claude Giroux became the face of the Flyers this year. By winning the 2012 John Wanamaker Athletic Award, he has become the embodiment of Philadelphia sports." [Philly.com] Finally, here's Nickelback discussing their favorite hockey song. Sadly, hockey was unavailable to discuss its favorite Nickelback song. |  |
"Beat LA" strikes me as a really unimaginative slogan. Was "Win the hockey match" taken? Preview: Los Angeles Kings at Phoenix Coyotes, 9 p.m. ET The Coyotes will attempt to do what no other team has done versus the Kings this postseason: win a game at home. The Kings have won 6 consecutive road games, just one off the NHL record held by the Blackhawks of 2010, the Islanders of 1980 and 1982, thew Devils of 1995, and the Avalanche of 1999. The Coyotes will have to pick their game up considerably to avoid a repeat of Game 1, where they were out-possessed handily and outshot 48-27. Do they have it in them? The key will be shutting down Dustin Brown and his linemates, something no one has been able to do thus far. If they can't, the Kings will tie that record. Evening reading • CTV cites "bloggers" in its report on David Booth's bear hunt. The fact that they didn't name names is silly enough, but the fact that, upon investigation, the "bloggers" turned out to be posters at the Canucks.com message board is even worse. [PITB] • Cam Cole compares bad hockey to love, in that it means never having to say you're sorry. [Vancouver Sun] • Former Ottawa Senators' coach Cory Clouston has been fired by the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings. [Sportsnet] • Scotty Bowman traces the current style of playoff hockey back to Roger Nielsen. Time to tear down that statue outside of Rogers Arena. [The Globe & Mail] • Congratulations to Claude Giroux, who has won a local award you've never heard of. [Broad Street Hockey] • Penn State's hockey and football coaches want an outdoor hockey game at Beaver stadium. [Collegian] • In case you were wondering, Niklas Kronwall plays the exact same way in international hockey: Puck Buddy Comment of the Day: Mike, on the Devils' since-deleted "Don't re-sell your tickets to Rangers" campaign:
Mike has a point. Bold prediction: Another Kings win and more Dustin Brown magic. |  |
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After falling 4-2 in a lopsided Game 1, outshot by nearly a 2-1 margin, Phoenix Coyotes coach Dave Tippett was direct about what changes had to be made for a better outcome in Game 2: "Adjustments all over the board," he told the Arizona Republic. He made them. It didn't work. For the second straight game -- or maybe the 11th straight game, depending on how far back you want to go -- the Kings looked like an unstoppable juggernaut, once again outshooting the Coyotes by nearly a 2-1 margin and dropping 4 goals on Mike Smith in a 4-0 Game 2 shellacking. [Jay Hart: Los Angeles Kings seem destined to reach Stanley Cup finals] It should be clear by now that the Kings are the eighth seed in name only. (Consider: the phrase unstoppable juggernaut, used above, isn't typically bestowed on eighth seeds.) L.A. is 10-1 this postseason. It just picked up its seventh consecutive road win, tied for the NHL postseason record. In two games versus the Coyotes, the Kings have peppered Mike Smith with 88 shots, scoring eight times. The Coyotes were overmatched from beginning to end in Game 2. Outshot 15 to 8 in the first period, the Kings opened the scoring by simply wearing them down. Dwight King put the Kings on the board at 13:15 on a redirect of a Drew Doughty point shot. In the second period, the Kings came out even harder, outshooting the Coyotes 17-8 and doubling their lead on a goal from Jeff Carter. (That totally rhymed, you guys!) The goal came after some great work by Dustin Penner, who gained the zone, and outworked his man down low before tipping the puck to his linemate. That was enough for the Coyotes to become disagreeable. In a scary sign heading into Game 3, the league's most disciplined, structured team became an unfocused, undisciplined mess from that moment forward. The Coyotes lost their composure, and the rest of the contest was a penalty-filled affair, with 74 penalty minutes handed out in the game's final half -- 15 apiece to both Shane Doan and Martin Hanzal, who were given majors and game misconducts on dirty hits that could see supplemental discipline. Mike Smith dove. Derek Morris hung a knee. Antoine Vermette took a misconduct. Genghis Khan flipped the pool and lit it on fire. [Video: Coyotes captain Shane Doan could face ban for hit on the Kings' Trevor Lewis] The Kings scored two power-play goals during this span, both by Jeff Carter, who records the first hat trick in Kings' history since Wayne Gretzky scored three on May 29, 1993. The Coyotes now fly to Los Angeles beaten, embarrassed, and fighting for their playoff lives. Trailing the series 2-0, they're forced to do something no other team has managed to do this postseason: win Game 3 in the Staples Center to avoid the 0-3 hole. They'll have to up their physicality while upping their composure, return to their structure, and find some of the confidence they've clearly misplaced in two straight drubbings. Worse, they'll likely have to do all of this without one of Hanzal or Doan, and maybe both. Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports: |  |
It's bad enough for Martin Brodeur that the fans inside of Madison Square Garden are doing all they can to disrupt him, with sing-song chants of "MARRRTY!" In Game 2 against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night, the New Jersey Devils netminder was undermined by the rink itself in the second period: Marc Staal's shot from the right circle deflected off of Bryce Salvador and hit the bottom of the end boards. The puck flew back at Brodeur, whose left pad knocked the puck in under his outstretched glove to tie the game 1-1 at 2:23 of the second period. In the words of Sam Rosen, it was a power play goal. Brodeur has been notorious for fluky goals in the postseason for years, but had cut down on the unfortunate tradition in the 2012 Devils' playoff run. This one, no doubt, he'd like back. Of course, earlier in the period, he made an amazing skate save. Such is Marty. Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports: |
No. 1 Star: Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers Lundqvist continued to be "King" for the Rangers stopping 21 shots as New York took Game 1 over the New Jersey Devils 3-0. It was the Swede's second shutout of the postseason and fifth of his career. Three of his 21 saves came via this exchange with Zach Parise: No. 2 Star: Chris Kreider, New York Rangers Kreider has now scored in three games these playoffs and all three have been Ranger victories. Tonight, he first set up Dan Girardi's goal early in the third period, then later his power play goal gave New York a 2-0 lead and was the cushion needed to finish out the Game 1 victory. No. 3 Star: Dan Girardi, New York Rangers Not known for his offense, Girardi again stepped up offensively for the Rangers scoring the opening goal 53 seconds into the third period and later assisting on Kreider's tally: The goal was his second of the playoffs. Defensively Girardi was his usual self leading all players in ice time with 25:11 and blocking five shots.
Honorable mention: Ryan McDonagh made two key defensive plays in the first period breaking up a potential chance for Zach Parise and later on Ilya Kovalchuk ... Brad Richards won 14 of his 21 faceoffs ... New York blocked 26 shots to New Jersey's 15 ... Martin Brodeur made 25 saves in the loss, including this lovely dive across the crease: Conn Smythe Watch: 1. Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings; 2. Brad Richards, New York Rangers; 3. Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings; 4. Ilya Kovalchuk, New Jersey Devils; 5. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers; 6. Mike Smith, Phoenix Coyotes; 7. Mike Richards, Los Angeles Kings; 8. Travis Zajac, New Jersey Devils; 9. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings; 10. Mikkel Boedker, Phoenix Coyotes Dishonorable mention: New Jersey managed just four shots in the final period and went 0-for-4 on the power play. |  |
New York Rangers Coach John Tortorella's postgame press conferences have become an amusing facet of the team's playoff run, even inspiring a DJ remix of his caustic responses. OK, in fairness, they're amusing to everyone that doesn't draw Torts' ire during a postgame chat. To that end, a request, going forward: Please set your cell phones to vibrate before Tortorella begins his presser, or at least figure out which button mutes it. Or else this is going to happen (one NSFW word): And it had to be that ringtone, right? The old timey rotary phone one? (UPDATE: The writer in question was Jay Greenberg of the NY Post CBC. Somehow Larry Brooks will be blamed for this.) To the surprise of no one, this was scrubbed from the official transcript. But that wasn't the only Torts classic from Game 1. Earlier in his Game 1 press conference, after the Rangers' 3-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils, Tortorella was faced with a long-winded and confusing question about rookie Chris Kreider's playoff prowess … which Torts handled thusly: Thank the Hockey Gods the Rangers won Game 1, for that reporter's sake. Then again, had they lost, the press conference would have been over by that point … |
Among Elliotte Friedman's "30 Thoughts" this week on CBC Sports: That Todd McLellan, embattled coach of the San Jose Sharks, has already been told he'll return to coach the team in 2012-13:
Kevin Kurz of Sharks Insider confirms that it's "become a virtual certainty McLellan will return" to San Jose next season, and throws scout Dirk Graham's name into the hopper for a potential assistant coach.
Had the Sharks missed the playoff cut, McLellan would have been toast. That they made it — barely — means he keeps his gig. Swapping out assistant coaches is usually a harbinger of doom for a head coach — ask Ron Wilson — but in this case it could help address the PK, which was a significant point of failure for the Sharks this season. If nothing else, the McLellan-to-Calgary talk should end. |  |
Two weeks ago, Vancouver Canucks' winger David Booth tweeted a photo of a black bear that he had killed during a hunting expedition in Alberta. He didn't give any insight into what weapon he used to take down the bear, but we suspected that it was a bow, Booth's noted weapon of choice. Now we know. On Saturday, Booth tweeted a video of the kill, which is set to air on an upcoming episode of "The Edge", a program on Canadian hunting and fishing network, Wild TV. It features Booth loading his bow and firing an arrow into the bear's side. Between Katniss in "The Hunger Games", Hawkeye in "The Avengers", and now David Booth killing this bear, I think I've seen more archery in the last two weeks than over the rest of my life combined. I enjoyed watching the Under Armour logo come slowly into focus. Think this show has a sponsor? Booth came under fire for tweeting the photo of the bear back on May 1, so there's no doubt that he'll likely see some flak for tweeting a video of the kill. With that in mind, he added the following message along with the video: "You have every right not to watch just like I have the right to choose to hunt." Anyway, if you're feeling like the bears never win, you can always go watch "Grizzly Man." |
Washington Capitals GM George McPhee said Dale Hunter's decision to step down as head coach, less than 48 hours after the team was eliminated in Game 7 vs. the New York Rangers, "wasn't unexpected" by the team; and it's easy to understand why. From Steve Whyno of the Washington Times:
Hunter signed a 1-year deal with the Capitals upon replacing Bruce Boudreau as head coach in November, leading to plenty of "one and done" speculation as he could escape back to the London Knights of the OHL without an contractual obligation to remain in the NHL. Turns out, the speculation was accurate. Dale Hunter, one and done. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he coached with little regard for the politics of the team, the ramifications for next season or the marquee status of its talent. Dale Hunter Hockey meant you played the ice time he dolled out and the stats-and-body sacrifice he demanded. There was criticism that this style couldn't sustain success in the playoffs, and it finally faltered against the Rangers in Game 7. But it certainly couldn't be sustained for an 82-game regular season; not with Alex Ovechkin due $9.5 million per season through 2021 and Nicklas Backstrom due $6.7 million through 2020. [Related: What to make of the Washington Capitals' season?] Hunter knew this, and hit eject, as someone with little desire to manage the egos of NHL players -- see his scratches during the season of players like Mike Knuble and John Erskine, both of whom weren't even given much justification from the man benching them. As I wrote over the weekend, his time with the Capitals is not in vain. He convinced this team to play with a level of selfless sacrifice and defensive commitment it hadn't exhibited before under Bruce Boudreau. This coaching staff offered a psychological blueprint for a team that has lost its wits during postseason adversity in the past. As McPhee said, via Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post:
Now it's on the Capitals to prove this learning experience was effective. Ovechkin in particular is going to take heat, deserved or undeserved, for another coach leaving in the span of six months that dared monkey with his ice time. I think the Capitals became better players under Hunter; but that's only a theory until they prove it. The next move for the Capitals? They need a coach with a ring. Someone that's been there and commands respect. Their Joel Quenneville. Their Peter Laviolette. Their John Tortorella. Problem is that those guys are employed. Will they go with a Paul Maurice? Will they opt for an old friend in Ron Wilson? (UPDATE: Our buddies JP and Neil Greenberg mentioned Guy Carbonneau and Craig MacTavish respectively -- both solid options.) RIP, Dale Hunter Hockey. It wasn't fun while it lasted. But that was the point. Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports: |  |
The National Hockey League has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated — either the main mag or on a commemorative issue — 114 times, according to the SI Vault archive. Sometimes, it was a quick mention on a cover story dedicated to Tiger Woods another sports story. Other times, hockey was given the spotlight. The Stanley Cup Playoffs have been featured around 35 times, including Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers on a striking cover from April 2012. While some weren't exactly iconic, they all had their charms. Here are the 10 best Sports Illustrated Stanley Cup Playoff covers. Check out our year-by-year coverage of how SI treated different Cup champs. And here … we … go. 10. Montreal Canadiens vs. Los Angeles Kings (6/14/93) "In the Stanley Cup" indicates the editor thinks it's like the World Cup, but that's OK. This cover is notable for having the most Canadian of Canadian teams — the Montreal Canadiens — given the spotlight over Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan; and also for featuring Tomas Sandstrom with that face, in which he looks like someone hit his how-do-you-do with a Taser. (Buy Reprint Here) 9. Henrik Lundqvist (4/15/12)
An image from all the way back in the NHL Premiere series game in Stockholm, but one hell of an image. Hank giving an intense look to the puck as it approaches him, as if he's worried the rubber disc may attempt to use his conditioner. Loses some points for depicting a shot that actually reaches Lundqvist, which has yet to happen in the 2012 Playoffs. (Buy Reprint) 8. Chicago Blackhawks, Cup Champions (6/20/10) This was the regional cover for the Blackhawks' drought-ending Cup victory, as Stephen Strasburg was given the national cover. Any cover featuring Jonathan Toews' playoff foliage is a good one, but "AT LAST! BLACKHAWKS" is about as memorable as the befuddled goal calls when Patrick Kane ended the series. (Buy Reprint) 7. Montreal Canadiens vs. Philadelphia Flyers (5/24/76) The best sports photos tell a story, and Larry Robinson bruising his way through a Flyers' face is all you need to know about the Sweep of '76. (Buy Reprint)
6. Boston Bruins, Cup Champs (6/17/11) A commemorative edition for the good people of Boston, with the Conn Smythe winner featured at the center (instead of the far right). Very solid celebration shot that earned a few extra points for the incredible Bro-hug happening around Patrice Bergeron, right before what we imagine was a slow dance to a Lionel Richie song playing in their heads. (Buy Reprint) 5. Bobby Clarke (5/6/74)
Mayhem on the ice! How can you not love that? This SI cover perfectly captures the Broad Street Bullies aesthetic, as Bobby Clarke puts his stick on Pete Stemkowski's taint and offers a Jack O'Lantern smile in the process. (Buy Reprint) 4. Ray Bourque (6/18/2001)
One of the NHL's most compelling Stanley Cup Final storylines gets its due, as Raymond Bourque face shows elation and relief in finally capturing the Cup. A great image, although the Mission 16W book from the Sporting News might have it beat. (Buy Reprint) 3. Sidney Crosby (6/21/09) Love him or hate him, just an iconic cover for Sidney Crosby after winning the Cup in 2009. The Kid looks smaller than the Cup thanks to the perspective in the photo, underscoring the enormity of the achievement. Plus, Michael Farber gets top billing, and this is never a bad thing. (Buy Reprint) 2. NHL Hot, NBA Not (6/20/1994) One of the most significant moments for NHL fans in the early 1990s was this endorsement from SI after the New York Rangers' Cup win. My god, it was like the hottest cheerleader in the school asking you to prom. That was the impact. If you read the stories, it wasn't exactly "the NHL is surpassing the NBA in popularity!" as the cover might have teased. But it remains our Roswell Crash of 1990s sportswriting — we want to believe. (Buy Reprint) 1. Detroit Red Wings (6/14/08) Just awesome. All the smiling faces, the enthusiasm, Kris Draper's playoff beard … just that perfect moment in time when a team comes together to celebrate an accomplishment. Sadly lacking a Mike Babcock death stare to balance it all out, or a Red Wing popping Chipper Jones' bubble with his finger. (Buy Reprint) |  |
Los Angeles is a busy sports city these days. With the Clippers, Lakers and Kings still in contention for their respective championships, there's a lot to cover. And with two basketball teams to one hockey team, you can understand why basketball might still be dominating the conversation. But this embarrassing screengrab from NBC4 News in Los Angeles -- again, that's in Los Angeles -- is beyond the pale: See, this is why the L.A. Kings' Twitter account has to work so hard. This is the second time something like this has happened, as a Miami news station in Florida got the Florida Panthers' logo mixed up with the Florida International University Panthers back in the first round. But this is worse. This is the local NBC affiliate mixing up a team in the Western Conference finals. Hey now, NBC4, you might want to focus up and investigate the difference between basketball's Sacramento Kings and the hockey's Los Angeles Kings. Because one of them is in the playoffs in your city, and the other is neither in the playoffs nor in your city. A helpful tip: look for the word "SACRAMENTO" on the Kings' logo. If it's there, it's a team from Sacramento. That's the funniest part. The second funniest part is the notion that the Sacramento Kings would still be in the playoffs. I was already questioning NBC4's hockey knowledge; now I question its basketball knowledge. s/t to Awful Announcing and Scott Whalen. Follow Harrison Mooney on Twitter at @HarrisonMooney |  |
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It wasn't so much what Alex Ovechkin said after the Washington Capitals' Game 7 loss to the New York Rangers, but what he was wearing: His full uniform, in his dressing room stall, answering questions about the end of their improbable playoff run. When the reporters hit the room, Ovechkin nearly always has his jersey off. Not this time. "It's a terrible feeling right now. What can I say? We did our best," he said after the 2-1 loss at MSG on Saturday night. "It's hard." He continued to sit in his full uniform for roughly five minutes after the media scrum ended — dejected and frustrated at falling short of the conference final yet again. Yet for the Capitals, it was a promising postseason in many ways. Braden Holtby, the rookie goalie tabbed by many to be the eventual starter for the franchise, proved ahead of schedule in posting a 1.95 GAA and a .935 save percentage, never losing consecutive games in the playoffs. The team in front of him showed a commitment to systematic defense that it hadn't exhibited in previous postseasons, participating in one-goal games in 13 of their 14 contests. Coach Dale Hunter, who somehow found a way to get these players to sacrifice both their bodies and their ice time for the betterment of the team, felt validated after Game 7. "It's the right way to play, to win," he said. Next year we'll … you know, you can … you know, start off and that's your goal. To win." "We" to "you" was an interesting transition. Will there be a next year for Hunter? "It's not the time right now," said Hunter, when asked about his future. He coached the Capitals on a 1-year contract and with little regard for locker room politics, leading some to believe he'd return to the OHL London Knights win or lose. But management and his players — at least publicly — want him to return. What did Hunter discover about this team during the last several weeks? "A lot of character in that room," he said. "Character's a big word. Means a lot. You see how we play, the sacrifice they have to make, and in that room they did it. They played the type of hockey you have to play to win." Whatever his future with the team, it could be argued that this Capitals roster needed Dale Hunter, and they're better for him having coached them this season. It was the first time they all bought into a team defensive concept, and the results for players like Karl Alzner, John Carlson and Jeff Schultz on defense, as well as Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom were impressive. When Bruce Boudreau asked for that commitment, he received it in the short-term and then saw it disappear when adversity hit. It was the first time this group worried less about the stat sheet — who scored the goals and who had the ice time — than with the win column in the postseason. Ilya Kovalchuk needed Jacques Lemaire in New Jersey to transform him into a more complete player. Maybe the rewiring sticks and maybe it doesn't, but Ovechkin was making plays on the defensive end and playing with intensity in the offensive zone with a balance of power he's never shown before. Last season, his lack of ice time or absence in late game situations could have been a political cherry bomb for his head coach. Instead, Ovechkin appeared to reach a new, more complex level as a player. Hunter's greatest contribution wasn't tactical — more on that in a moment — but psychological. To a man, the Capitals said that his coaching staff's serene, measured and unflinching approach to the playoffs kept their own emotions in check. There was no panic from the Capitals. There was no moment in which the string was pulled and the sweater unraveled. They achieved an emotional maturity that defied their history as the playoffs' constant disappointers. It was a learning experience. That all said: The argument can be made the Dale Hunter Hockey, tactically, can't sustain a team's success in the playoffs. "Two good teams battling each other? What can you say?" said Hunter. "We didn't move the puck well. They put a lot of pressure on us, and we couldn't set it up." Which is to say that you live by the coin-flip, you die by the coin-flip. In a postseason of one-goal games, one mistake can mean defeat. The Capitals allowed an early goal, and then botched a line change to help create the Rangers' second tally. This occurred on a night in which the Rangers weren't going to allow an inch to the Caps — intercepting passes, clearing room in front of Henrik Lundqvist and smothering Ovechkin. When shots got through, Lundqvist was there, making key saves on Backstrom, Alex Semin and Troy Brouwer. "They did a good job, collapsing low. Just like we did," said Brooks Laich. Dale Hunter Hockey eliminated the defending Stanley Cup champions in Round 1. The Rangers were, in the end, too similar in style for the Capitals' defense to ultimately thrive; and, in the end, their key players (Brad Richards, Lundqvist) and home ice proved to be the difference. But in this oddest of odd years for the Capitals — the summer additions, the high expectations, the underwhelming play, Bruce Boudreau's firing, Dale Hunter's lack of impact and then sudden impact in the playoffs — the end result was an appearance in Game 7 of the conference semifinal. It's not where it should have ended based on preseason aspirations, but it's an achievement given what they've become. Now begins an intriguing offseason, beginning with Dale Hunter Hockey's namesake. "Coaching's the next best thing to playing," said Hunter after Game 7. "It's a privilege to try and take a run at it again." |  |
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It's a Monday edition of Marek vs. Wyshynski beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, and we're talking about the following and more: Special Guest Stars: Dave Lozo of NHL.com joins us to break down the New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils and generally be funnier than we are. • In which Marek and Wysh discuss Dale Hunter's departure as Capitals coach. • The LA Kings roll in Game 1. • Puck Headlines and Talking Points Question of the Day: 'Give the Stanley Cup Conference Finals a name (e.g Frozen Four)' Email your answers to puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or tweet them with the hashtag #MvsW to either @jeffmarek or @wyshynski. Click here for the Sportsnet live stream or click the play button above! Click here to download podcasts from the show each day Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or Feedburner. |
This dude seems upset about something. No. 1 Star: Jeff Carter, Los Angeles Kings Jeff Carter scored the Kings' second goal in the second period, after which the game got out of hand. Then, he took advantage of the game getting out of hand, cashing in twice more on the myriad power plays in a 4-0 Game 2 win. Carter becomes the first Kings' player since to score a hat trick in a postseason game since Wayne Gretzky did it in 1993, a fact that also serves the dual purpose of shaming the Coyotes further by mentioning Wayne Gretzky in the same sentence as them.
No. 2 Star: Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings He had a pretty big margin for error, but Quick was flawless just for kicks, making 24 saves for his third career playoff goose egg. The trio of shutouts tied a team record set by Felix Potvin. No. 3 Star: Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings Doughty was excellent in just over 23 minutes of work, tying Jeff Carter with a game-high 5 shots, picking up an assist, and finishing the night a plus-2. Honourable mention: Anze Kopitar added two assists, and also make this sweet drag move that would have resulted in a goal if Mike Smith hadn't made an even sweeter save:
Conn Smythe Watch: 1. Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings; 2. Brad Richards, New York Rangers; 3. Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings; 4. Ilya Kovalchuk, New Jersey Devils; 5. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers; 6. Mike Smith, Phoenix Coyotes; 7. Mike Richards, Los Angeles Kings; 8. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings 9. Travis Zajac, New Jersey Devils; 10. Jeff Carter, Los Angeles Kings Dishonourable mention: The entire Phoenix Coyotes team after Jeff Carter scored the Kings' second goal, with special credit to Shane Doan, Martin Hanzal and Derek Morris, all of whom made dirty, suspendable plays. I suspect Doan will be fined, Morris will be forgiven, and Hanzal will be suspended for the Coyotes' must-win Game 3. |  |
Can a coaching move symbolize both stability and instability? The Columbus Blue Jackets removed the interim tag from coach Todd Richards on Monday, making the former Minnesota Wild bench boss the sixth head coach in franchise history. He took over from Scott Arniel on Jan. 9, and went 18-21-2 under Richards at a time when Rick Nash's future cast a foreboding shadow over nearly every game. [Related: Dale Hunter steps down as Washington Capitals coach] From a stability standpoint, it could be argued this was a smart decision. The Jackets showed resiliency late in the season, going 11-8 in March and April. They also showed a cohesion and competitive spirit that was missing at the start of the season, when James Wisniewski's suspension, Jeff Carter's apathy and Steve Mason resembling Sonny Corleone's car at the toll booth. So maybe that's something to build on. From Aaron Portzline of Puck-Rakers, more on the stability Richards might bring:
That's hope, alright: That Richards will be a familiar face in turbulent times, rather than an outside brought in to fix a mess and/or manage a dramatically different team. But this summer of change is the reason why Richards's hiring also feels like a sign of instability. Many Blue Jackets fans feel Scott Howson should be on his arse now, and there's evidence to support that point. But he's still the GM, and will likely be the guy that trades Rick Nash. (Unless there's some miraculous reconciliation and reconsideration of feelings from Nash; if Richards becoming head coach plays a role in that, then Howson deserves free beer for life in Columbus pubs. Unless, of course, it's better to trade Nash and fill the roster. It's debatable.) But next season is likely Howson's last whack at the piñata. Turning Richards into the team's head coach isn't the sexiest move for energizing the fan base, but it's the expected move from ownership when you have a GM that might be out the door if results don't improve. You don't bring in a high-profile, expensive head coach if the general manager's future is in question. Unless, of course, you're the Maple Leafs. Is Richards the right fit for the Blue Jackets? Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports: |  |
The Phoenix Coyotes are in enough trouble as it is. Despite adjustments -- stapling Boyd Gordon to Anze Kopitar, for instance -- they were outshot by a wide margin by the Los Angeles Kings for the second game in a row. Now, to make matters worse, they'll have to worry about whether Shane Doan will be available for Game 3, after the Phoenix captain hit Trevor Lewis into the end boards from behind late in the second period of Game 2. Doan was slapped with a 5-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct. But will that be all, or will NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan see this hit fit for supplemental discipline? (First things first: For the last time, yes, if you compare this to Shea Weber's unsuspended turnbuckling of Henrik Zetterbeg, this shouldn't be suspended either. So here's what I suggest: don't compare it to that. Chalk that one up as a terrible, bizarro world call that should have no bearing on what Shanahan does here.) Doan can argue that Lewis turned immediately prior to the hit, which he did, and that's typically a mitigating factor. But one wonders if Shanahan will take issue with the way he follows through after making contact. One thing Shanahan is sensitive to is intent. It's tough to prove, but if he can find it, he tends to bring the hammer down. If he views that follow-through as an outward showing of the Coyote captain's frustration, the quick turn defence could be out. It won't help that Doan's a serious repeat offender, having been suspended for three games last season, suspended three games this season, and fined for a boarding infraction in between. Might that be enough to push a potential fine into ban territory? |
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The No. 3 seed Phoenix Coyotes and the No. 8 seed Los Angeles Kings will clash in the Western Conference Final beginning Sunday night in Phoenix. It will be the largest clash of coyotes and kings since Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad. Here are 10 items for your consideration about this matchup. 10. The Kings are killing Division champions The Phoenix Coyotes enter this series the reigning Pacific Division champions, and if the Kings' recent history is any indication, this could prove problematic. LA made short work of the Northwest Division champion Vancouver Canucks, knocking them off in 5 games. They followed that act by sweeping the Central Division champion St. Louis Blues. They eat Division champions for breakfast right now. 9. The Kings are money shorthanded LA has a +1 goal differential when shorthanded, having allowed three power play goals and scored four shorthanded goals in the postseason thus far. There's simply no margin for error against their forecheck on the penalty kill. They cause neutral zone turnovers, disrupt zone entries, and make it Hell for the oppponent to set up. That frustration tends to lead to sloppiness, and that sloppiness tends to lead to shorthanded opportunities. It's an endless cycle. Both the Blues and the Canucks fell victim to the Kings' fabulous penalty-killing. Will the Coyotes do the same? 8. The Coyotes are as disciplined and structured as they come On the flipside, the Coyotes don't seem to rattle. If there's one area where they have the edge, it's composure. This team plays the same way shift in and shift out, and if they can stick to that, they'll avoid making the same powerplay errors as previous LA opponents. Furthermore, it's entirely possible they might be able to turn the tables. At times, the Coyotes were able to catch the Blackhawks and Predators cheating, and if their robotic approach to the game can lead Los Angeles to act a little impatient or to push a little too hard, they might be able to give the opportunistic Kings a taste of their own medicine. 7. Captain on Captain Shane Doan and Dustin Brown are the same kind of captain: tenacious, hard-working, and capable of throwing a massive hit every now and then. Expect these two to go at one another hard. Brown has been the standout player of these playoffs, and he that continues, this series won't go long. The Coyotes need Doan to win this battle, like he won the fight between the two captains on February 16: 6. Equipment manager rivalry There isn't a whole lot of cross-pollination between these two teams, but here's an interesting thread: Denver Wilson, one of the Kings's assistant equipment managers, is the son of Coyotes' Head Equipment Manager Stan Wilson. Equipment managing is the family business, I guess. But now the family is at odds! Who can manage equipment better? Father? Son? We will soon find out. 5. Mike Smith vs. Jonathan Quick This is the marquee matchup here, as the two hottest goaltenders in the postseason go head to head. Of the remaining backstops, Smith and Quick are the standouts, with .949 and .948 save percentages, respectively, and 1.55 and 1.77 goals against averages. There really isn't much separating the two, and their play will decide this series. 4. Smith will be busier than Quick One thing that does separate the two: volume of shots. Quick has faced 274 this postseason; Smith has faced 400 in just 2 more games. The Coyotes average 36.4 shots against per game. [Nicholas J. Cotsonika: Brad Richards delivers on grand stage for the New York Rangers] What does this tell us? That the pressure's on Smith here. Quick's skaters limits the shots he faces and spend a lot of time in the other end, but Smith's skaters aren't as generous. He'll have to be much better than Quick for the Coyotes to win this series, because he's going to see a lot more pucks. 3. Smith and Quick's super-weird ECHL connection Smith and Quick both worked their way up from the East Coast Hockey League, and they both got their first win the same way: via shutout. That's kind of special in and of itself, but here's the weird part: they also both scored a goal in those games:
Any offense Smith and Quick feel inclined to provide in this series will likely be welcomed. 2. Boyd Gordon and Antoine Vermette are faceoff wizards Phoenix spends a lot of time in their own zone, which means they take a lot of defensive zone faceoffs. Thank goodness, then, that they have two of the best pivots in the league to take these crucial draws: Gordon and Vermette have been dynamite in the circle for the Coyotes, winning nearly 60% of their faceoffs in the postseason. (Gordon's at 58.7 per cent, and Vermette's at 58.4 per cent.) The Coyotes are far and away the best faceoff team remaining in the postseason, and they have to keep it that way to have a chance in this series. The Kings are the better puck possession team by far, but if the Coyotes have the first touch after the puck is dropped, they'll be able to generate some chances the other way. If their faceoff prowess dries up, however, they'll struggle to get the puck out of their end all series. 1. Prediction Kings in 6. The Kings have made me look silly in consecutive rounds. I picked against them versus the Canucks and I picked against them versus the Blues. It only took them nine games to dispatch both. I'm not picking against them again. For me, this one's simple: the Kings have the goaltending to match the Coyotes, and they outmatch Phoenix everywhere else. The Coyotes are brilliantly structured, but so are the Kings, and they simply have more firepower.
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As the final buzzer sounded during the New York Rangers' 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals to advance to the Eastern Conference Final against the New Jersey Devils, the similarities to their Stanley Cup run in 1994 continued to grow. In 1994, the Rangers finished atop the Eastern Conference with 50-plus wins, just like this year. In 1994, the Rangers had an All-Star Game MVP in Mike Richter, just like this year with Marian Gaborik. In 1994, the Rangers defeated the Capitals to advance to the conference final, just like this year. [Related: Judging level of success for Capitals] And in 1994 the Rangers met the Devils in a memorable conference final that ended thanks to a Stephane Matteau wrap-around. It remains to be seen how things will end this time around, but if you're a Rangers fan looking for some sort of cosmic sign that this is their year, well, history does have a way of repeating itself. In 2012, Brad Richards, New York's $60 million man, again stepped up and delivered. After setting up Marian Gaborik's goal in the third overtime of Game 3, then scoring the game-tying goal with 6.6 seconds left in their miracle comeback in Game 5, his goal 92 seconds into the first period opened the scoring and sent an already on-edge Madison Square Garden into a frenzy. It was Richards' fourth goal of the series and sixth of the playoffs. Richards' goal was looking to be the only one until when midway through the third period Michael Del Zotto gave New York a 2-0 cushion, which Washington quickly cut in half 38 seconds later by Roman Hamrlik. "We never make it easy," said Richards to NBC Sports Network's Pierre McGuire after the game. He was right. Just 36 seconds after the Hamrlik goal, Ruslan Fedotenko was called for a delay of game penalty giving the Capitals a power play. It was a tense final 9:17, but relief overcame MSG once the scoreboard read 0:00 and Rangers fans could finally breathe again. "King" Henrik Lundqvist was deserving of his noble title making 22 saves. It was Lundqvist's second career win in a Game 7 and a measure of revenge from 2009 when the Capitals eliminated the "King" and all of his men in seven games in the first round. Monday begins their challenge with Game 1 against the Devils and the storylines have already been written. The March line brawl will be replayed ad nauseam and war of words that ensued between Peter DeBoer and John Tortorella will be revisited in order to add a touch of spice. Then you have the memories of 1994, of course. Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy
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"Right now I'm going to home to the farm, the team, and the family." To the surprise of not many, Dale Hunter stepped down this afternoon as head coach of the Washington Capitals after taking over for Bruce Boudreau in November. Almost as soon as he took on the coach, the speculation began about how long Hunter would last in D.C. after signing a 1-year deal and having a successful junior hockey team in London of the OHL to fall back on should things not work out. They did work out as Hunter led the Capitals within a victory of the Eastern Conference Final, but in the end the choice came down to family. Via Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post:
"It was a tough choice," Hunter said when asked if he was tempted to see his work done this season into the next. "Even if they win the Stanley Cup next year, I feel like I'm part of it. I'll always be part of it." Hunter's London Knights team that he co-owns with his brother Mark will be playing in the Memorial Cup beginning this weekend. He said he doesn't plan to return behind the Knights' bench this season, preferring to be "a fan" during the tournament. Here's Hunter:
Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy
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Back by popular demand, here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished.
Via Lockhart Steele on Twitter: "Guy wants to sell me these for $150 each. seeing Callahan lay out Deron Williams worth it? Thoughts?" Insert your shot-blocking and/or goaltending joke here. [Deadspin, s/t @Tedislaw]
Eastern Conference Final Game 2 Preview: New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers, 8 p.m. ET. No lineup changes for the Rangers but the Devils could have a new look for Game 2: Coach Pete DeBoer reunited Zach Parise with Travis Zajac and Ilya Kovalchuk, and will have Patrik Elias skating with Petr Sykora and Dainius Zubrus. The Devils are going to try to find a way around the Rangers' shot blocking that doesn't involve maiming. By the way, that whole "keep Rangers fans out of the Rock" thing the Devils were doing? It's disappeared, and the team hasn't explained why.
Check out previews and updated scores for all of today's games on the Y! Sports NHL scores and scheds page. For tonight's starting goalies, check out Left Wing Lock. Evening Reading • Listen to today's Marek Vs. Wyshynski here. • Adam Proteau presents the top 10 UFAs this summer. You know Nos. 1 and 2; did you know No. 3 was Dennis Wideman of the Washington Capitals? [THN] • Ratings for Game 2 between the LA Kings and Phoenix Coyotes were down 32 percent from Game 1 but down only 1 percent from last year's Game 2 between the Sharks and Canucks. [Puck The Media] • Another year in the minors for Florida Panthers goalie Jacob Markstrom? That's what Mike Santos, assistant GM, is saying. [Sun Sentinel] • Evansville, Fort Wayne to the ECHL? [Caller] • Dallas Stars owner Tom Gaglardi says that his team will be built the smart way, but that he's ready top push for the right key free agent. [Dallas Morning News] • Ken Campbell on the CBA termination notice: "That would leave both sides less than three months to hammer out an agreement in which the owners will be looking to likely reduce the players' share of hockey related revenues and place limits on long-term contracts. The one thing that has been absent from the dynamic compared to 2004 is rhetoric from either side. (Although Chicago Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz recently reiterated that the Blackhawks continue to lose money despite close to 200 straight sellouts and alluded to, 'a challenging business model.')" [THN] • Marc Methot of the Blue Jackets earns a 1-game suspension at worlds. [The Cannon] • Finally, via TSN and Robert Söderlind, the top 10 Stanley Cup Playoff saves. No. 1 remains one of our favorite saves. Just sick.
Puck Daddy Reader Comment of the Day: Chris F. on Doan and Morris escaping punishment:
Bold Prediction: Kovalchuk leads the Devils in scoring for Game 2. |  |
Oh my god the contrast in their facial expressions... No. 1 Star: Brad Richards, New York Rangers Richards scored the first goal in Game 7 versus the Washington Capitals just 1:32 after the opening puck drop, a one-timer from the right circle on a feed from Carl Hagelin.
It was the game's lone goal until the 10-minute mark of the third period, when the two teams traded goals in a span of 38 seconds. Richards added 4 shots, and won 14 faceoffs in the Rangers' 2-1 win. No. 1 Star: Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers Lundqvist was nigh unbeatable in his second Game 7 at Madison Square Garden in two weeks, stopping 22 of 23 shots he faced and staking the Rangers to a victory and a date with the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference finals. No. 3 Star: Michael Del Zotto, New York Rangers Del Zotto picked up the second assist on the Brad Richards' goal, then he scored the second Ranger goal himself, knocking Alex Ovechkin off the puck at the New York blueline and tracking the play down to the other end for the insurance goal. Honourable mention: Braden Holtby was excellent, making 29 saves in the loss ... Brooks Laich won 11 of 19 faceoffs, took an absolute beating, taking a shot to the ankle and a puck to the face, and added an assist ... Marion Gaborik had a game-high 6 shots ... Marc Staal blocked 5 shots ... here's your handshake line:
Dishonourable mention: Not that it mattered in the end, but I'm still not entirely sure why the Rangers' shorthanded goal was disallowed. Dennis Wideman drove Holtby into the goal. It looked to me like it should have counted. |  |
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Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend's events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it. There's been a lot of talk about what this season has meant for the Washington Capitals in the hours leading up to, and then immediately following, their final game of the remarkably eventful 2011-12 season. Wysh had a pretty good recap of the reasons the Capitals felt this little run to a pair of one-goal Game 7s against the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in the Eastern Conference — both having been heavy favorites — vindicated the Dale Hunter system of everyone playing defense and collapsing to within three inches of the crease, and it's perfectly reasonable for people to feel that way. Certainly, no one expected these Capitals to do much damage in the postseason given that they frittered away a division they were picked to dominate. But the thing that everyone seems to forget is that, again, they were picked to dominate the Southeast, be a superpower in the East and the League at large. If the team tuned out Bruce Boudreau, and it appears they did, then wasn't his replacement, whoever it happened to be, more or less expected to get this far? Therefore, it becomes a question about what changed, and really, what didn't. Let's not forget, Boudreau came in originally and let guys like Alex Semin, Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green have their run of the rink. Two-minute shifts? Sure! Goals aplenty? You bet. But in the end, what did it get them? Bounce-outs, and if you believe the talk, disappointing ones at that. So Boudreau changed the style, focusing more on defense, tethering Ovechkin and Co. to an extent, and … getting the same amount of success. Under each of the two clearly definable Boudreau regimes, the team lost in the conference quarter- and semi-finals. Which is of course notable because the latter is exactly how far Hunter got in his first chance at the tiller, despite doing everything in his power not to: like limiting Ovechkin to fewer than 20 minutes a night in every game in this series save for Saturday's Game 7 and the three-overtime Game 3, in which he played 35:14 — or, if you prefer 17:37 per three periods of play. This therefore vindicates Hunter only as far as it vindicated Boudreau; which, with a roster like this, and given the "choker" label being hung liberally on the former Caps coach this time last year. The philosophy changed radically under Hunter, and worked only as far as it did for Boudreau. Why? (Coming Up: Team USA, international ass-kickers; getting stupid about Patrick Kane's drinking; Parise's future; Could Brad Stuart return to the Sharks?; Kevin Lowe says Ryan Murray is the top player in this year's draft class; Suter/Weber questions; Pancakes Penner's revenge; Bruins pumped for Dougie Hamilton; Alfredsson retirement watch; Leafs/Penguins trade?; Lundqvist is King; Alex Burrows runs and hugs a goalie; and Winnipeg Jets fans are burning Coyotes jerseys.) It's not like there was a lot of roster turnover with this team. In fact, the only people in the room who either left or arrived since training camp broke in September were new coaches coming and going. Not one trade at the deadline to bolster the roster, not one waiver wire pickup. The guys on the roster in October were the guys packing up their stuff and sadly leaving Madison Square Garden last night, with the lone exception being Braden Holtby, who was called up in March, and only then out of necessity but was certainly no stranger to the team. Most NHL fans would love to support a team that can play the type ultra-tight defensive hockey with which Washington made its hay this postseason, but also score four goals a night with little difficulty under a different system. This is a team that should, theoretically, be able to play and excel at any style of hockey their opponent sees fit to try. They have the right players to be moderately successful when playing any type of hockey. And that's important. They can free-wheel, and lose in the conference semis. They can park the bus, and lose in the conference semis. This shows an amazing amount of adaptability on the roster, and stands largely as a testament to the strength of the team George McPhee has built; but if we're going to agree that it's not good enough for Boudreau — which requires you to buy into the narrative that playoff hockey outs the best teams more effectively than an 82-game regular season — it therefore can't be good enough for Hunter. The personnel is there. Now they just need the right coach to strike the right balance, and make them truly great. Neither Boudreau nor Hunter were that guy. What We Learned
Anaheim Ducks: More Ducks success for America, world's greatest hockey country, as the US drubbed host Finland 5-0 and the two teams look destined to face each other again in the semis. Kyle Palmieri and Bobby Ryan both scored for the Americans, who are all strong and handsome. Boston Bruins: Think Bruins brass is pumped for Dougie Hamilton to join the team next season? Though his Niagara IceDogs lost to the London Knights and other Bruins prospect Jordan Knight in the OHL finals, Hamilton finished his 20-game playoff run with 5-18-23. Buffalo Sabres: Buffalo prospect Mark Pysyk is having a heck of a run for the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL finals against the Portland Winterhawks, which wrapped with a Game 7 last night.
Calgary Flames: Could Karri Ramo return to the NHL next season and play for the Flames? He seems to think so, and his KHL stats the last two seasons (GAAs of 1.96 and 1.97, save percentages of .925 each) are really pretty outstanding. An intriguing option to be sure. Carolina Hurricanes: Justin Faulk continues to impress at the World Championships, scoring his fourth goal of the tournament (about 1:00 into the video), and leading it in points from the blue line. Pardon the Finnish. Or, as it's now known: Losertalk. Chicago Blackhawks: Patrick Kane, you're a 23-year-old millionaire world-class athlete who has already scored a Stanley Cup-winning goal so please stop enjoying yourself in the offseason. The cabbie incident is obviously very fair to criticize, but calling out a kid of legal age for drinking at a college seems, well, pointless. And saying that he will one day embarrass himself on national television like Joe Namath did with Suzy Kolber is legendarily stupid. Colorado Avalanche: The Avs are stocking up on goaltending prospects, signing three over the weekend, including the University of Minnesota's Kent Patterson and Boston University's Kieran Millan. I believe this brings the number of BU-related personnel in the Avs organization to an even 3 million. Columbus Blue Jackets: What if the Rangers had traded for Rick Nash? I don't know, Brad Richards would be forming an alchemical partnership with Marian Gaborik and him instead of Marian Gaborik and Carl Hagelin, and the Rangers would be headed to the Eastern Conference Finals? Is this a trick question? Dallas Stars: Jamie Benn is having a great world championship playing alongside Patrick Sharp and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Sharp is the greybeard on that line, given that he's 30. A full 18 of the team's 25 roster players are under 26. Seven are 22 or younger. Detroit Red Wings presented by Amway: The Wings held their annual equipment sale over the weekend, and team equipment manager Paul Boyer answered all fans' questions, including why Niklas Kronwall's skates have the Air Jordan logo on them. Edmonton Oilers: Kevin Lowe says Ryan Murray is the top player in this year's draft class. Yes, Oilers, please pass on the actual best player in the draft because he's Russian. That wouldn't be the Canadianest thing to do ever, not at all. Florida Panthers: Know who's going to bring some serious heat for the Panthers next season? Erik Gudbranson. I think that, at some point in his career, he might be considered one of the best defensemen in the game. Los Angeles Kings: Dark horse breakout performer in this upcoming series with Phoenix? Dustin Penner. After all, someone's gotta pay for the Coyotes' bus backing into his car earlier this season. Minnesota Wild: How should people feel about the contributions of Tom Gilbert to the Minnesota Wild? Fans are divided, but I have a hint: Badly. Montreal Canadiens: Another guy having a huge World Championship? Max Pacioretty. He had the Americans' opening goal and added an assist, running his total to 2-8-10 in the tournament, behind only Evgeni Malkin at the time of this writing. Nashville Predators: So many Suter/Weber questions in the offseason. If Ryan Suter leaves, does Shea Weber demand a trade to the team that signed him? Does he stick it out in Nashville for the one season without his longtime partner? Does he sign long-term regardless? Unless the answer is, "It doesn't matter because Suter signed with Nashville," there's no good answer. New Jersey Devils: Might this deep playoff run be swaying Zach Parise to stay in New Jersey? "It means a lot," Parise said. "It means we have a lot of good, young players who are going to be here a long time." Hey not to be a party pooper here but umm, Marty Brodeur is a billion years old. New York Islanders: Great story for Mother's Day about John Tavares and his mom's commitment to helping him succeed in the sport. "She's watching every game," he said. "It's funny, her and my dad come so often on the road now that I don't even go out to eat with them every time." Moms rule. Go moms. New York Rangers: Alex Ovechkin lazily lying on the ice while his man comes down the ice and scores the series-clinching goal for New York. Mike Del Zotto says, "Ovie, you just got NARRATIVED!!!"
Ottawa Senators: Know who's giving Dany Alfredsson advice on retirement? Mats Sundin. This should go well. Philadelphia Flyers: Jaromir Jagr thinks Ilya Bryzgalov will get his head on straight next season because the adjustment period is over. Man, if he does, look out: The Flyers might get replacement-level goaltending from a guy who has a cap hit north of $5 million. Phoenix Coyotes: Man, where were these impassioned front-page columns on the viability of hockey in the desert the last 14 times the Coyotes almost moved to Yellowknife? Pittsburgh Penguins: The Penguins really should have signed Rob Scuderi when they had the chance, writes a Pittsburgh columnist three full seasons after the fact. This kind of hindsight is 20/20 but you need a telescope too. San Jose Sharks: Could Brad Stuart return to the Sharks? *whip sound effect* St. Louis Blues: New Blues owner Tom Stillman loves his team. Free advice, Tom: Do not under any circumstance promise a Stanley Cup or two in the near future. That leads to signing Ville Leino. "The Blues will be consistent winners," his wife Mary said. Nooooo! Tampa Bay Lightning: Jeff Vinik just donated $10 million to his alma mater, Duke. Good thing he didn't pay for them to build a rink and go Division 1 in hockey, because that eventually leads to signing Ville Leino as your No. 2 center. Toronto Maple Leafs: Are the Leafs a potential trading partner for the Pittsburgh Penguins? "Also, defenseman Luke Schenn is the kind of physical, stay-at-home defenseman the Penguins badly need." Hey, is this one of those things where people thought Hal Gill was good because Jagr said it that one time? Who doesn't remember the Toronto/Pittsburgh game on Hockey Night in Canada during Schenn's rookie year where he kept Evgeni Malkin in his back pocket for 60 minutes? Vancouver Canucks: Do you want to see incredibly low-res video of Alex Burrows running into a goalie and then hugging him? Sure you do. Washington Capitals: The difference between a loss and a win for the Caps in Game 7 and, by extension, the whole series, was a 5-on-5 shift in the second that looked like a power play in which they pushed the puck around with ease and were able to attempted close to 10 shots on goal in the space of about two minutes. None of which, obviously, went in. Winnipeg Jets: It is now prohibited for members of government to receive free pro sports tickets, but by all means they can go to the symphony as many times as they like. The home-theater advantage the Winnipeg orchestra is going to enjoy when other symphonies come to town just got intense. Gold Star Award America: The ultimate hockey power. Minus of the Weekend Some Jets fans are burning Coyotes jerseys because they're bitter crybabies who suck. Play of the Weekend Another major turning point in Game 7? This Henrik Lundqvist save on Alex Semin.
Perfect HFBoards Trade Proposal of the Week User "wilfred" is thinking big.
Signoff I am the Third Revelation. Ryan Lambert publishes hockey awesomeness almost never over at The Two-Line Pass. Check it out, why don't you? Or you can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter if you so desire. |  |
The top-seeded New York Rangers and the No. 7 seed Washington Capitals meet on Saturday night at MSG in another one-goal game. OK, that's just an assumption about Game 7, but when 10 of the Rangers' 13 postseason games and 12 of the Capitals' 13 playoff games were all decided by a single goal, it seems like a pretty decent prediction. Less predictable: Who will play the hero in Game 7? We know that either goalie Henrik Lundqvist or Braden Holtby will likely earn the chance to be called the hero by virtue of winning an elimination game, but they can't win without a goal. Here's a look at seven skaters that might make the difference in Game 7 for the Rangers and Capitals. • Nicholas J. Cotsonika: Capitals goalie Braden Holtby making the most of his opportunity Brad Richards, New York Rangers This is the $60 million moment for Richards. When the Rangers signed him last summer, it was to bring a Conn Smythe-winning veteran savvy to a championship run — to be the guy who creates the key goal that's eluded the Blueshirts in recent postseasons. He's already done his part, posting five points in six games vs. the Caps, setting up Marian Gaborik in triple-OT and scoring the game-tying goal with seven seconds left in Game 5. But he was scoreless in Game 7 against Ottawa, and scoreless in Game 6 against Washington. They need him to come through, on the power play in particular. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals Ovechkin has dispelled a few myths in the 2012 playoffs. His nine points in 13 games, including five goals, should quiet critics of his postseason output. His ability to handle the fluctuating ice time from Dale Hunter without carping has been admirable (so far, at least). He has goals in two of his last three games, and was outstanding in Game 6. Can he play the hero in Game 7, earning a chance to join his friend Ilya Kovalchuk in the conference finals (and don't think for a moment that opportunity is lost on Ovi)? Brian Boyle, New York Rangers No Rangers player was more disgusted with his team's performance in Game 6 than Boyle, the 6-7 forward who started the playoffs with three goals in three games and has one assist since. That's all forgotten if he finds a way to crack Holtby in Game 7, but has to do better than the two shots in three games he's posted vs. Washington. Jason Chimera, Washington Capitals The winger's speed has been a problem for the Rangers all series and especially in the last two games, as he's peppered Lundqvist with nine shots and scored in Game 6. He makes the most of the ice time he receives from Hunter, and could score the kind of dirty goal you often see in a Game 7. Ruslan Fedotenko, New York Rangers His ice time dropped to 12:18 in Game 6, and he'll be on the fourth line again in Game 7, but his penchant for postseason heroics can't be ignored. In 2004, under Tortorella, he scored in Game 7 against the Flyers to win the conference title and then scored twice in the Cup-clinching game against the Flames. In 2009 for the Penguins, he had seven goals en route to their Cup win. He hasn't scored a goal in his last 24 playoff games — due or done? Brooks Laich, Washington Capitals From his guarantee that the Capitals would make the playoffs to his unwavering support of Dale Hunter's unorthodox decisions, one of Washington's most respected veterans would seem poised to make a big play in Game 7. He has goals in two of his last three Game 7s — alas, both losses, to Montreal and Pittsburgh. Chris Kreider, New York Rangers This is Kreider's moment to become an instant New York sports legend. His ice time plummeted in Games 5 and 6 after a gaffe last weekend led to an Alex Ovechkin goal. But with the team needing goals against Holtby, the Rangers had him skating with Derek Stepan and Ryan Callahan in practice on Friday. Can the kid make a difference? Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports: |  |
In their Game 1 shutout, the New York Rangers didn't just defeat the New Jersey Devils — they frustrated them. They blocked shots, they clogged passing lanes, Henrik Lundqvist gobbling up pucks. Things had to change for New Jersey. "We didn't score a goal last game, so on offense, shuffling guys around has been something we've done all year," said Coach Peter DeBoer before Game 2. DeBoer shuffled his lines, changed the team's offensive tactics and the Devils evened the Eastern Conference Final with a 3-2 win at Madison Square Garden. New Jersey reunited Ilya Kovalchuk, Travis Zajac and Zach Parise as a top line. He put together a second line of Petr Sykora with Patrik Elias and Dainius Zubrus, and a third line of Alexei Ponikarovsky, Adam Henrique and David Clarkson. The results: The Devils pushed 59 pucks toward the Rangers goal, and 27 of them on goal. Their adjusted or blocked shots dropped by 10 from Game 1, as these line combinations cycled in the Rangers' zone and created chances closer to the net than in the previous game. Their shots from the point were faster and better placed. "We have a deep lineup in here. The coach can pretty much do what he wants game to game," said Clarkson. "It sparked us a bit." The Devils' defensemen had 14 shots blocked in Game 1; in Game 2, the number dropped to seven. Another DeBoer decision that paid off: Peter Harrold was inserted for Adam Larsson and played a strong game, with three chances and nothing blocked. "He brings a little different dimension than Larsson. A little more poise with the puck," said DeBoer. Kovalchuk scored a power-play goal in the first period, a nasty snipe that beat Lundqvist high glove side. After the Rangers took the lead on goals by Marc Staal — a fluky tally that Martin Brodeur put in himself — and Chris Kreider, grinding fourth-liner Ryan Carter made a great deflection on a Bryce Salvador point shot at 18:09 of the second period. In the third, David Clarkson — who had a dominant game — scored the game-winner on this deflection on an Adam Henrique shot: The Devils' forecheck was impressive; their play around Brodeur was also exceptional, keeping pucks out of trouble and not allowing the Rangers to set up. When New York got its chances, Brodeur was there, in a 23-save performance. It wasn't a perfect game for the Devils, who took four minor penalties gave up a power-play goal to the Rangers. But just like in Game 2 of the series against the Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey found its stride in the second contest against the Rangers — and just like in the previous round, they evened the series. The Rangers, meanwhile, dropped their third straight Game 2. "I talked last game about our execution. Yeah, they did a good job blocking shots. They're a good shot-blocking team," said DeBoer. "But part of it is on us to execute, and tonight it was much better." |  |
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For all the accolades Coach Dave Tippett's defense-oriented system receives, the Phoenix Coyotes give up a ton of shots. In the regular season, the number was 31.6 per game, which placed them 28th overall. In the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the number was 36.4 shots per game through 11 contests — inflated somewhat by their first-round overtime game against the Chicago Blackhawks, but hefty nonetheless. In their Game 1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference Final, the Coyotes surrendered 48 shots on goal. Tally up the blocked and missed shots, and the Kings pumped 90 pucks toward Phoenix goalie Mike Smith. No one has taken the fight to the Coyotes like this for 60 minutes in the playoffs, and no one has gotten under their skin like the Kings did, either. The margin was only two goals — a 4-2 victory — but the margin felt much wider. "We weren't close in that game. We got beat in every facet of the game," said Tippett. "I felt that our execution was so poor … the execution and the will to get things done are going to have to improve if we're going to have a chance in this series." [Related: Coyotes' Morris hits improbable shot from center ice] Trouble spots for the Coyotes beyond the shot total: • The Coyotes had scored first in seven of their 11 playoff games, going 6-1. Anze Kopitar's goal at 3:53 of the first period was a critical rally for the road team and led to a first-period domination with only Derek Morris's fluke goal against Jonathan Quick providing relief. • Radim Vrbata, Martin Hanzal and Ray Whitney were kept off the board and were thoroughly outplayed when matched with the Carter/Richards/Penner line. Tippett got them away from the trio midway through the game, but still couldn't get anything on the board. The Kopitar/Brown line also couldn't be stopped. • Bad penalties. Mike Smith took a roughing call in the first. Hanzal took a retaliation penalty after a cross-check. Oliver Ekman-Larsson was forced to take an interference penalty just 8 seconds into a third-period power play. • Both Dwight King's goal and Dustin Brown's tally came on plays where the Coyotes simply saw their coverage break down. Brown's game-winner was especially frustrating: Slava Voynov threading the needle between two Coyotes in the neutral zone, and then Brown burying one past Smith on a save he'd have made in previous rounds. • That said: Mike Smith outplayed Quick, and this is going to feel like a squandered opportunity in a few games. The bar has been raised for the Coyotes in facing this Kings team. As Tippett said: "We didn't have enough guys rise to the bar tonight." Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports: |  |
A lot of reporters can't stand John Tortorella press conferences because they run counter to everything a press conference should be: The media asking questions, gathering information for its audience and gaining insight into the New York Rangers. Instead, it's a coach dismissing questions, giving out information like Al Yeganeh spoons out soup and concealing as much as he can about the New York Rangers. It's the court of King Torts, and he decides when to address the subjects. It's also just a matter of time before the time bomb explodes, leading to a tense exchange or the abrupt end of a presser. Which is why DJ Steve Porter's John Tortorella remix is so genius. Perhaps the only misstep: That the clip lasted more than 16 seconds. Porter, who previously used Don Cherry as the basis for a minor masterpiece, perfectly captured the Torts aesthetic: He's not just a stand-off-ish bully in press conferences, saying "next question" or "I'm not gonna talk about that" every answer. He also gives up some interview gold about power plays stinking and other assorted "crap." That said, there's still no one better in the NHL at shutting it down than Torts. Witness this Norris worthy effort against Pierre McGuire of NBC during Game 7: One of the beautiful things about this Rangers/Devils series: Tortorella and Pete DeBoer aren't exactly Facebook friends. This could be awesome.
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Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media. • And at right, we have a photo of Marc-Andre Fleury from 1997. [Reddit Hockey] • One man's journey from New York Rangers' fandom to New Jersey Devils' fandom. [Star-Ledger] • Martin Hanzal faces a hearing for boarding Dustin Brown. [USA Today] • Mike Smith's slash on Dustin Brown, however, is just impressive. The beauty is in the form! It's like the Mona Lisa of slashes! [Backhand Shelf] • Michael Farber, on John Tortorella's press conferences: "The question-and-answer sessions are hockey's version of Kabuki theater, elaborately stylized and weirdly dramatic." [Sports Illustrated] • You will likely enjoy this collection of John Tortorella's greatest hits. [SI Red Light] • Unless you're the media, who find Tortorella's walkouts more than a little frustrating. Is it time for the media to walk out on John Tortorella? [Dean Brown] • State lawmakers weigh the liquor license request for the Winter Classic in Detroit. [Detroit News] • Here's a cool study from some Finnish researchers on the effects and effectiveness of the various boards used in hockey arenas. "The results show that the maximum impact force of a body check against a support post was up to 70% higher than the maximum impact force of a similar body check against a protective shield. They also found that the posts were up to five times more rigid than a plastic shield. 'By replacing the widely used tempered glass with a plastic shield, the impact force on players being body-checked against the boards is considerably reduced,' said Professor Janne Avela and researcher Piritta Poutiainen." [Cordis] • This post on the 5 worst Chicago Blackhawks trades gets extra points for the hockey card graphics. [The Hockey Writers] • "The IIHF Disciplinary Panel has suspended Canada's defenceman Marc Methot for one game following his reckless and dangerous boarding on Belarusian forward Yevgeni Kovyrshin." [IIHF] • What the heck happened to Matt Stajan? [Flames Nation] • Rangers fans are pretty intense. [Star-Phoenix] • The New Jersey Devils were built largely through free agency. [Edmonton Journal] • Boston College hockey has received an anonymous $5 million donation to endow the coaching position. That rules. [Boston Herald] • The CBA expires in four months, and the the NHL and the NHLPA still haven't started talking. That is decidedly not awesome. [Montreal Gazette] • But the NHL did serve notice that it plans to terminate the current CBA this fall. Yay! [The Globe & Mail] • You have to like a headline that tries way too hard, and this story on Martin Brodeur and Ray Whitney fits the bill. It's called "40-year-olds surgin.'" [Sportsnet] • People are still talking about that bear David Booth killed. I especially enjoyed this little hackjob, which manages to use the incident as a doorway into a basic Canuck hack piece. Also, the writer quotes a commenter from Pass it to Bulis without acknowledging where he got it. [Calgary Sun] • And finally, here's the official song of the IIHF World Hockey Championship mascot, Hockey Bird. Yes, the song is about as uninspiring as the mascot's name. |  |
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It's a Wednesday edition of Marek vs. Wyshynski beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, and we're talking about the following and more: Special Guest Stars: Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune talks Minnesota Wild hockey, Todd Richards and the Blue Jackets as well as the Western Conference; Kevin Weekes joins us to talk NHL goaltending; Wyshynski's head cold also makes an appearance. • In which Marek and Wysh discuss the Coyotes getting all sorts of nasty against the Kings. • The Marty Brodeur non-controversy over shotblocking. • Can anyone stop the Kings? • Puck Headlines and Talking Points Question of the Day: "You're Brendan Shanahan: What do you give Martin Hanzal, Shane Doan and Mike Smith for their transgressions?" Email your answers to puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or tweet them with the hashtag #MvsW to either @jeffmarek or @wyshynski. Click here for the Sportsnet live stream or click the play button above! Click here to download podcasts from the show each day Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or Feedburner. |
In which your friends from Puck Daddy and Marek Vs. Wyshynski select the winners for Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Our terrible, terrible Cup picks are here. Devils in 6 Coyotes in 6 The Rangers have played two grueling 7-game series after a grueling regular season that featured the "24/7" plus Winter Classic taxation. They've played, in the words of my radio partner Jeff Marek, a lot of "heavy hockey." They gutted out a victory against a Capitals team that believed the best defense was no offense, and now face a Devils team that's as offensive as they've had in the playoffs. Historically, the Rangers have handled the Devils in the postseason, and Henrik Lundqvist has been particularly difficult to solve for the Devils. But if New Jersey exhibits the same kind of offensive depth they had in previous rounds, and Marty Brodeur continues not to be a liability, the Devils will advance to the Stanley Cup Final in six games — 18 years after the Rangers prevented it from happening. The Coyotes will continue to be the story of the postseason, using Dave Tippett's system and Mike Smith's swagger between the pipes to eliminate the Kings in six. Jonathan Quick will be tested by Phoenix's underrated offense (2.64 GFA), and the Kings' power play problems will haunt them vs. the Coyotes. Watch out for Radim Vrbata, who had five goals in six games vs. the Kings. The Kings have been outstanding, no question. They've also had the benefit of playing two teams hit with significant injuries — Daniel Sedin, Alex Pietrangelo — at the wrong time. If the Coyotes can avoid the same misfortune, they advance to the Cup Final. Devils vs. Coyotes for the Stanley Cup. Yes, I may be picking this just to hear the collective heads of television executives, the NHL and the hockey media explode. Also because at this point, there's really no salvaging my prognostication record for 2012. Might as well go all-in. Sean Leahy, Associate Editor Rangers in 7 Coyotes in 7 It's going to come down to home-ice advantage in both of these series. While the statistics may say that doesn't exist, the ability for John Tortorella and Dave Tippett to get that final change will end up being huge. That and the energy the crowds at MSG and Jobing.com Arena will provide. Both series will be tight as shown by the goaltending that's helped get them to this point. In the end, the Rangers and Coyotes will get that one extra big goal they need to advance. New York seems destined to reach the final this year given all the similarities to their run in 1994, while Phoenix's off-ice storyline of their future just has the feeling it'll end with a trip to the Final. Harrison Mooney, Associate Editor Rangers in 6 Kings in 6 After seeing what LA did to the Blues, a similarly structured team to the Coyotes, I don't see how you could favour Phoenix here. The Blues played a system that flatters their goaltender, and the Kings still made Brian Elliott look like last year's Brian Elliott. That doesn't bode well for Mike Smith, who has a similarly dark past, and whose name will come up a lot, since the Coyotes are giving up a ton of shots and the Kings are spending a ton of time in their opponents' end. He'll be amazing, but I think the Kings will wear him out eventually. I'm not sold on the Devils. The Panthers were a beatable team, and while the Flyers looked downright unstoppable at times versus Pittsburgh, they looked disjointed and unorganized against a team with more structure and commitment to defence. As far as I'm concerned, the Rangers are in a class completely above the Devils' first two opponents, and New Jersey won't look nearly as spiffy against them.
Rangers in 7 Kings in 6 Did the series against the Washington Capitals take too much out of the Rangers? Or is it deja vu that most of the Eastern Conference Finals games are schedules on exactly the same days of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals? The Rangers won it that year, their last Stanley Cup. I'm going with the deja vu. The Predators couldn't solve the Coyotes. Don't get me wrong, the Coyotes are a terrific team. But it feels that the Predators were burned out by their win against Detroit. The Kings can match the Coyotes in net with Quick (many of us picked him in our Top 3 in the Hart ballot). And it feels the Kings can dig up those goals Chicago and Nashville couldn't. Ryan Lambert, Columnist Rangers in 6 Kings in 7 As much as I would prefer to see the Devils advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, I just don't think they have the ability to do so. Beating Florida and Philly is all well and good, but those teams, in the end, weren't very good. New York is very, very good. If, at the end of the day, it comes down to a battle at any position, don't you think the Rangers are the superior team? They have more firepower, a better D corps (by virtue of not having Marek Zidlicky), and obviously better goaltending. New Jersey has been fairly accustomed to playing fast, wide-open hockey, and they won't get it for a second against New York. Out West, I think it comes down to goaltending, as it so often does. And while Mike Smith is very, very good, Jonathan Quick is perhaps the best person at his job on the entire planet. I love both of these teams, but right now the Kings are just playing better hockey against better teams. Yeah, those teams have had key players injured, and Phoenix does not, but LA looks very much like a team of destiny, one that didn't get the benefit of playing against a banged-up Blackhawks and completely discombobulated Predators team. Darryl "Dobber" Dobbs, Fantasy Hockey Columnist Rangers in 7 Kings in 6 After carefully looking over each roster and reviewing recent game footage, I confidently present to you my prediction. Actually, the true prognosticator is this quarter I'm holding - heads pick the higher seed, tails the lower seed... and then heads pick seven games, tails six. It's ironic that the legendary goaltender, the soon-to-be Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur, has been the weakest of the four remaining goaltenders. For that reason alone, I'm going with the Rangers. But that theory doesn't work so well in the West. Trying to choose the hotter goaltender between Jonathan Quick and Mike Smith is akin to choosing the bigger partier between Jeff Carter and Mike Richards - there is no wrong answer. So in this circumstance I will go with the team with the better options up front. Kent Wilson, Advanced Stats Guru Devils in 7 Coyotes in 6 At this point I have little confidence in my ability to pick a winner this year. So while I think the Kings are the best team remaining in the playoffs, I'm going to pick the New Jersey Devils and Phoenix Coyotes to win the Cup instead. Like George Costanza, I figure it's time to go the opposite way of my natural inclinations this post-season. Jeff Marek, Marek vs. Wyshynski Kings in 6 Rangers in 6 Like many series in the playoff the Kings/Coyotes may simply come down to goaltending and then really it's a pick 'em. Phoenix has perhaps the most underrated defence in the league; something that will has changed this post season with Oliver Ekman-Larsson becoming a household name for puckheads. And despite solid play from Doughty, Martinez, Voyonov, Mitchell, Scuderi and Green, I still like what Phoenix's blueline brings (to say nothing of their zip lock tight system in their own end). Los Angeles, however, has a more talented crew up front able to play defensively sound but also score big goals and in bunches too. All the big names have shown up and that's scary to face. The Kings forwards went 'Christmas tree' on Vancouver and St Louis goalies so this will be Mike Smiths biggest challenge yet. The Kings however are not a fast team, they don't have great foot speed (I can't believe how many times I read in these playoffs about how this team is speedy), but what they do is move the puck quickly and efficiently. If Phoenix can exploit LA's slow boots they have a shot but the added rest LA has enjoyed should tip the rink in their direction. As much as it would be a great story to see Marty Brodeur in the SC final (to say nothing of David Clarkson, Zach Parise, Adam Henrique and yes Ilya Kovalchuk) I'm not getting that 'soap and warm water feeling' about it. Granted, the Devils are rested while the Rangers have to jump back into the fire two nights after punting the Caps. The Rangers have played heavy hockey since Joe Thornton called them a soft team after a SJ Halloween loss at MSG. It was after that match that John Tortorella got the whip out and has been beating this team ever since. That has to catch up to a team eventually right? And we did see evidence of this in the Caps series. However, and this may sound too simple but I really believe it — I don't think Brad Richards, not John Tortorella, will let this team lose. I could blah blah blah about the goaltending, shot blocking, clutch goal scoring, shot + pass lane closing advantage the Rangers should enjoy in this series but at the end of it, doesn't it seem like Richards is on a seek-and-destroy mission these playoffs? I know I feel that way. So yes, I'm picking a Kings/Rangers finals and considering how button down both teams play it may be another series of 2-1 games. Hey, kinda like the last Stanley Cup final before the last lockout with Calgary and Tampa Bay. And who were the two coaches in that series again? Elena Pagliarello, Marek Vs. Wyshynski Rangers in 6 Coyotes in 6 This has been my prediction for the Rangers in each round so far, so why not stick with it? As much as I'd like to think the Devils could keep up whatever momentum or confidence they gained in knocking off Philly, I have to stick by my original statement that the Rangers are the team that can best get it together and keep it together for a long playoff run. Brad Richards seems to be playing better with every game, and getting Brian Boyle back to solidify that attack can only help. Lundqvist has been anywhere from solid to unbelievable throughout the series with Washington, and there's no reason to think he can't continue that performance against the Devils. Make no mistake, I think New Jersey will give New York a run for their money, but when it comes down to it the Rangers will have gained confidence from being so tested by Ottawa and Washington and I don't know what you gain from beating the Flyers other than a true appreciation for your goaltender, no matter how old and unpredictable he might be. Well, I did not see this West Final coming. In fact, I was about as wrong as possible - something about how since LA's offense hadn't shown up so far, and that there was no reason to think goals would magically come against Nashville for Phoenix- about both these teams, so I have no clue how this will go. I still don't really know what "Phoenix Coyotes Hockey" is, but the Coyotes are playing the hell out of it right now. As much as with my cynical nature I don't want to buy in to the whole team of destiny idea about Phoenix, I can't help but be pulling for Shane Doan, Mike Smith and the 14 Blue Jackets castoffs that have found their way to the desert. On the other hand, the Kings must be doing something right to have knocked off both the Blues and Canucks - even if that "something right" is getting incredibly lucky and benefitting from the other team's misfortunes (injuries, Brian Elliott being Brian Elliott, etc.). Both these teams had fast series and have been waiting to play again, and you do have to wonder what kind of impact that will have. Bottom line, this will be a fascinating series to watch unfold with the coaches, scorers and goalies.
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Can the Coyotes rally? Are the Devils done? Did the Blue Jackets make the right coaching call? And who takes over the Capitals, Canadiens and Flames? Please join us beginning at NOON ET/9 a.m. PT today for our weekly chat that includes a revolving door of panelists like Lyle (Spector) Richardson of Spector's Hockey and Katie Baker of Grantland; as well as your friendly neighborhood knuckleheads from Yahoo! Sports, Puck Daddy and Buzzing The Net. You bring the funny; we bring the abrupt changes in tone and Hamburger Women. That's how it works: |
After the top-seeded New York Rangers outlasted the Washington Capitals in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal, it's the Rangers and the No. 6-seeded New Jersey Devils facing off for the right to play for the Stanley Cup. Their series gets underway on Monday. Over in the West, the Phoenix Coyotes (No. 3) and the Los Angeles Kings (No. 8) get their series going on Sunday night. Here are the TV schedules for the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoff conference finals: One game from the Eastern Conference Final on NBC? Interesting. |  |
Early in the first period of Game 1, Keith Yandle of the Phoenix Coyotes dumped the puck in on Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, who dropped his stick attempting to play the puck. Maybe the Coyotes noticed something from that play. Maybe they didn't. But later in the period, Coyotes defenseman Derek Morris decided against dumping the puck in and chose to fire it on net and ended up succeeding to tie the game: As @Fel0096 points out, Quick allowed this center ice blast from Alex Pietrangelo of the St. Louis Blues last season. Somewhere, Dan Cloutier is sympathizing. Not much has beaten Quick this season and in these playoffs, so he's allowed one goof. And while he's made many highlight-reel saves this season, everyone joins the blooper reel at some point. Fortunately for Quick, this one didn't come in a loss. The Kings took Game 1, 4-2. Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy
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The Phoenix Coyotes are in trouble. After Shane Doan drove Trevor Lewis into the boards with an ugly hit, the team was already facing the possibility of playing a must-win Game 3 in Los Angeles without their captain. At least things couldn't get any worse, someone must have said, thereby cursing the team and guaranteeing that things could get worse. Because now they'll have to worry about playing Game 3 without Martin Hanzal as well, after the big winger put himself on Sheriff Shanahan's radar with an even uglier hit from behind on Dustin Brown. This is an inexcusable check, as Hanzal shoves Brown into the end boards with significant force, driving the LA captain's head into the wall. It's a hit Shanahan has been particularly unkind to this season. With the player already traveling in that direction with significant speed, shoving him is a recipe for disaster and a Shanaban. Hanzal was given a 5-minute major penalty for the hit; I suspect he'll get one game more. One wonders if the "star clause" will come into effect here. Arguably, both Doan and Hanzal committed suspendable offences, but Hanzal isn't a star and Doan is. Furthermore, Hanzal hit a star -- the frontrunner for playoff MVP at that -- and Doan hit some guy named Trevor Lewis. The game got more than a little heated in the third period, so it's clear that, if Shanahan doesn't intervene in some way here, Game 3 could get silly. Hanzal may have just made himself the sacrificial lamb. |
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Since it opened in October of 1999, the Staples Center in Los Angeles has had a good problem: It's home to three teams -- basketball's Lakers and Clippers, and hockey's Kings -- but only the Lakers are ever really all that competitive. In the last 13 years, the Kings have made the playoffs seven times, and the Clippers only twice; prior to this season, the two clubs had played past the first round just once each. Springtime at the Staples Center tends to be a Laker-centric affair. This year, however, things are different. For the first time in the history of the building, all three teams made the playoffs, and what's more, all three have advanced to the second round. (The Kings are in Round 3.) And here's where things get especially tricky: Due to what Staples Center Senior Vice President and General Manager Lee Zeidman is describing as a perfect storm of scheduling, each of the three teams will be playing two playoff games in the building between May 17 and May 20. The Staples Center staff will be facilitating six arena changeovers in four days. "It's unprecedented in the history I believe of any arena," said Zeidman, "And I don't think it will ever be duplicated anywhere else but here." Zeidman described (in Pacific time, the best kind of time) what will be a whirlwind of activity at the Staples Center. Game 3 between the Kings and the Phoenix Coyotes is Thursday night at 6 pm. On Friday night, the Lakers host the Oklahoma Thunder. That's all fairly standard, but the final horn in that game will also serve as a starter pistol for a truly crazy Saturday and Sunday, with doubleheaders on both days. Immediately after the Lakers' game on Friday night, the Staples Center staff will convert for the Clippers/San Antonio Spurs game at 12:30 on Saturday afternoon. "Then they'll be standing by," said Zeidman. It might be the last time they stand still. "Once that game is completed, we'll go ahead and convert to the Lakers/Oklahoma City 7:30 game." It's worth noting that changing from one basketball team to another requires a floor transition that's really no easier than changing over to ice. "The Lakers and the Clippers share nothing identical as it comes to their court situations," Zeidman said. "Their floors are completely different, so we've gotta strike one floor and bring in another floor; their courtside seating setup is completely different as is their scorers table -- that all has to be struck." Plus, don't forget that people are slobs. You still have to tidy up the building. "While we can convert the floors in about an hour, you've still got a million square feet you've got to clean and stock and that takes anywhere from 2.5 to 3.5 hours," said Zeidman. But the hockey is still the big concern here. The Kings and the Coyotes drop the puck for Game 4 Sunday at noon, and the Clippers and Spurs go one more time Sunday night at 7:30. It's a tight schedule that could be made even tighter with an overtime game, a distinct possibility considering the way the Kings and Coyotes play. "Never before in my experience here in this building, nor do I believe anywhere else, has there been a hockey playoff game scheduled prior to an NBA playoff game, for the very fact that we don't know when that hockey game would end," said Zeidman. "If that hockey game goes into one, two, or three overtimes, the start for that NBA game could be pushed back one, two, or three hours." An overtime affair is a nightmare that the Staples Center has to prepare for. Prior to speaking to us, Zeidman held a conversation with the NBA and broadcast partner TNT to discuss the plan in the event of a long overtime. A quadruple overtime game could see the Clippers and Spurs tipping off as late as 10 p.m. Zeidman pointed out that it's not just the changeover they need to worry about: it's the traffic going in and out of the building. "We're gonna have 20,000 people in our building and another 20,000 people outside ready to come in, and we've gotta clean a million square feet, clean 168 suites, stock them with food and beverage as well as 53 concession stands." Plus, for added complication, Stage 8 of the Amgen Tour of California bike race comes through Downtown L.A. Sunday morning. The streets will be closed from 7:30 a.m. to noon, with upwards of 100,000 people cramming into the area. To help ease the congestion, the Staples Center will be opening at 9 a.m. that morning and serving breakfast. "This is going to be quite an undertaking," said Zeidman. Follow Harrison Mooney on Twitter at @HarrisonMooney |  |
Here it is: One game, for the right to play for the Eastern Conference title against the New Jersey Devils. The Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers, Saturday night at MSG. It doesn't get much better than this. Please join your pals at Puck Daddy for our Game 7 live chat for Caps and Rangers. You bring the funny; we bring the abrupt changes in tone and Hamburger Women. That's how it works |
We've all seen incredible glove saves on point-blank shots during playoff hockey games. Waterloo Black Hawks goaltender Stephon Williams upped the ante earlier this week in a game against the Lincoln Stars in the USHL: Losing his glove, and then using his unprotected left hand to make the stop. Granted, it would have been cooler to see him snag the puck out of midair and show it to his opponent before taking a bite out of it like a burger patty; then again, fractured hands are rather uncool. That's Kevin Roy of the Stars alone in front, apparently faking Williams out of his glove before watching the Black Hawks goalie make a remarkable save. It was one of 29 stops he made on Monday in a 6-2 victory, the series-clinching game for Waterloo on their way to the Clark Cup Final. Waterloo is facing the Green Bay Gamblers for the 2012 Clark Cup. s/t to the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier and the USHL for the clip. |
"The risk these players are willing to take game after game, shift after shift is worthy of adulation." — Larry Brooks, NY Post, May 7 "They're hot at blocking shots. We might be able to hurt a few guys [by] hitting one-timers in the foot and their head or something." — Marty Brodeur via Larry Brooks, May 16 Shot blocking in the NHL has its perils. Sure, the overly padded players of today can lay out their bodies with reckless abandon, turning aside point blasts from opponents and then quickly transitioning to offense. But there are less protected areas: Like the foot, as James van Riemsdyk will tell you; like the face, as Daniel Paille will tell you. As Larry Brooks wrote last week, these brave New York Rangers that are throwing their bodies in front of pucks to the tune of 19 blocked shots per game are worthy of our adulation, but are also taking an inherent risk. Like, for example, an opponent blasting a puck off their noggin or feet as they're in a prone position. That Brodeur wouldn't suggest this could happen … my goodness, clutch the pearls, NY Post! It's like the Queen of Hearts declared "Off with their heads!" From Brooks:
First off, Brooks rightly points out that Marty's a bit of a hypocrite here. In 2003, Brodeur accused defenseman Pavel Kubina of the Tampa Bay Lightning of intentionally shooting at the head of Scott Stevens. Now, he appears to advocate for the same thing. Even in jest. Let's not pretend that this doesn't happen already — that when a player has had his shot blocked four or five times in a game, he doesn't put a little extra mustard on the sixth attempt with an opponent sliding in front of him. Because he does. [Jay Hart: Los Angeles Kings seem destined to reach Stanley Cup finals] But essentially what Brooks is arguing here is that onus is on the shooter, rather than the player hurling himself into the line of fire to deflect a speeding piece of frozen rubber, when it comes to player safety. So much for adulation for risk -- like other facets of player safety, apparently the players putting himself in harm's way must be protected at all costs. Worry not about the Rangers. The Devils told the NY Post on Tuesday that they aren't planning to intentionally injure them with shots to the face. Via Mark Everson of the NY Post:
Brooks is right: The seed has been planted, both by Brodeur and by the NY Post. The veteran Devils goalie is alerting his opponents that shot-blocking can be hazardous to their health; the Post is alerting the Devils that it will rain hellfire on any player that does connect with a Rangers' head or foot. [Nicholas J. Cotsonika: Dan Girardi in full warrior mode for Rangers against Devils in Game 1] All of these accusations aside, it all comes back to the fact that the Rangers are in their Devils' heads with their shot blocking. You can see the hesitation on chances. You can see the over-passing in the Rangers' zone. The Devils deny it's an issue, via Fire & Ice:
"What they do doesn't matter … it's what we do." There was a time when any playoff team facing the Devils' neutral zone trap would say the same thing. It was tedious, frustrating and very effective. And now, it's the Rangers' turn to flip the script on the Devils, force-feeding them the tranquilizers they were handing out to the NHL for several seasons. s/t Paul McManus UPDATE: Via Tom Gulitti of Fire & Ice, the full Brodeur quote that Brooks referenced:
And a Devils comment on it:
Well, yeah.
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Sergei Fedorov at 42 was still going strong playing in the KHL with Metallurg Magnitogorsk. After the season was over, I noted that it may indeed have been Fedorov's last playing professional hockey. A few weeks ago Fedorov said, "My body definitely doesn't want to play hockey I can definitely say. But my mind constantly thinks about hockey and the will to play on the subconscious level again tries to convince my body to play." Whispers that Fedorov may move into a hockey management role in Russia started surfacing recently. A few years ago, when Fedorov was still with the Capitals, he told me that he never contemplated becoming a manager. However, it appears that he will become the next general manager of the storied CSKA Red Army club, the team he defected from in 1990 when the team was participating in the Goodwill Games in Seattle. "Sergei came to the club office where the day before [on Friday] he met with the general director of the club, Alexei Khudyakov, and both were satisfied [with the meeting]," a source inside the club told R-Sport news agency. "It's a great possibility that CSKA's first home game of the new season will be Sergei's farewell. It will be sort of a farewell celebration and he will concentrate on the management work at the club." CSKA has not confirmed the news officially. Fedorov, a certain future Hall of Famer, himself is yet to officially announce his retirement from hockey.
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Game 1 Preview : New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers, 8 p.m. ET. The Battle of the Hudson will take place for the third time since the lockout beginning with Game 1 tonight at Madison Square Garden. The Devils and Rangers split their six-game regular season series which was highlighted by a March line brawl to open the game. The Rangers are coming off back-to-back seven-game series, while the Devils have had five days off. Will there be any signs of rust for New Jersey early on? And will New York look tired in Game 1 having eliminated the Washington Capitals on Saturday night? • Listen to today's Marek Vs. Wyshynski here. • Craig Custance talked to the agent for Alex Semin and told him that his client will be hitting the open market on July 1. A return to Washington doesn't sound like it's in the cards: "It was good while it lasted. With the lack of playoff success, with the direction they are going. They decided to change directions. That's within their rights. Alex doesn't fit into that system obviously." [ESPN] • Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith is a hockey fan and sure knows how to play to a crowd. [Sean's Ramblings] • Finland's Anssi Salmela was given a 3-game suspension for his hit from behind on Team USA's Alex Goligoski. [IIHF] • Finally, is there anything better than video of general manager's getting upset watching their team in the press box? Example: George McPhee of the Washington Capitals from Game 7: Puck Daddy Reader Comment of the Day: The Los Angeles Kings' Twitter feed continues it comedy reign:
Bold Prediction: Devils grab Game 1 with a 2-1 win. |  |
For the trio of incidents that occurred during Tuesday night's Game 2 between the Phoenix Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings, it will be only Martin Hanzal receiving supplemental discipline from the NHL. The league announced Wednesday evening that the Coyotes forward would be sitting for Game 3 on Thursday night after his hit from behind on Kings captain Dustin Brown. Hanzal was given a five-minute major and game misconduct for the hit midway through the third period. Here's Brendan Shanahan with the explanation: Anytime a player makes a hit like Hanzal's so far away from the boards it's going to warrant a review. Fortunately for Brown, he wasn't injured on the play, but despite that factoring in in other rulings, here it's an easy call considering how ugly the hit was. Is one game enough or would you like to see a stiffer penalty for these types of hits? Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy
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Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin has a few things on his plate this summer. He wants to re-up with PK Subban on a new deal. He has Carey Price headed to RFA status this summer, after making $5.5 million in his last deal. And, of course, he needs to hire a head coach. Bob McKenzie of TSN whet the appetite on Monday night by reporting that the Habs are "in the process of touching base with potential head coach candidates including Michel Therrien, Guy Carbonneau, Marc Crawford, Bob Hartley, etc." Michel Therrien (190 games as Habs coach, 2000-03) and Guy Carbonneau (230 games as Habs coach, 2006-09)? Canadiens fans like BK were lobbying for a complete break from the Gainey/Gauthier era:
Yet two of the three could be candidates, and the third would be had the Vancouver Canucks cut him loose. Brian Stubits of Eye on Hockey thinks this is a symptom of the language requirements of the position:
Carbonneau has earned an endorsement from Dave Stubbs of The Gazette, although a proposed reunion with Larry Robinson seems unlikely. The theory is that he's better prepared to handle the Montreal media circus than he was in the first go-round. Bob Hartley's an understandable candidate — veteran coach, with a Cup ring, although one imagines the Calgary Flames will come calling. But what about Marc Crawford? Pat Hickey on the language issue:
Do any of these guys excite the Montreal fanbase? Are they anything more then retreads? (Of course, it's hard to argue with retreads when you have Darryl Sutter, Dave Tippett, John Tortorella and Pete DeBoer coaching in the finals and all on at least their second NHL rodeo). If it's outside the box you want, how about this notion from Eric Engels:
Maybe he's McKenzie's "etc." Who do you think would make the next great Montreal head coach? Because from where we're sitting, someone with the temperament of Therrien and Crawford would seem to be at odd with the good vibes coming from the GM's office. |  |
How many times has Dewayne Hankins been called "classless" during the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs? "Yes … oh, gosh, a million times," he said. "It's so funny what people throw around as classless. But it's all in good fun. You're stirring up your fan base." Also funny: That those hockey fans on Twitter don't even know it's Dewayne Hankins who is drawing their ire. "They chirp us. We tweet back. And then they tell us how much they love us," he said. "They think it's the Kings talking to them." Hankins (@DewayneHankins) is the director of digital media for the Los Angeles Kings. Along with digital media coordinator Pat Donahue (@patatack), they run the @LAKings Twitter feed that's become a sensation during the postseason. The Kings had around 70,000 followers when the playoffs began. Thanks to sarcastic, intentionally outrageous messages mixed with practical information about ticket sales and viewing parties, they're well over 110,000 followers after two rounds. Along with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Kings have reinvented the way an official feed can be utilized — not just for information, but to develop a unique voice that connects with the fan base, while playfully taunting others. Like, for example, Vancouver Canucks fans, with the tweet that will live in infamy. On April 11, the No. 8 seed Los Angeles skated into Vancouver and defeated the top-seeded Canucks in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals. The Kings' Twitter feed celebrated thusly: Donahue was the author of "the infamous Vancouver tweet" according to Hankins, who knew immediately that this was a game-changer. "We were so excited about the first game being won, and I see that tweet, and I'm thinking, 'OK, no matter how this ends up, this is going to be a Hall of Fame tweet,'" he said. "We knew right away we had enraged an entire province, we were starting to get worried. And then they started asking the players about it." Media outlets like the Globe & Mail covered the tweet, additional ones sent during the game like "looks like a gust of wind sent Kesler tumbling" during a dive, and soon the Kings were forced to put out a fire. As Adam Williams of Monarchy Hockey, who also interviewed Hankins, recalled:
The team had internal discussions about how the Vancouver tweet was covered by the Canadian media, to the point where deleting the tweet was considered. Hankins stepped in and said their apology was sufficient. "We weren't going to delete. That defeats the point of what we're trying to do." Instead, the team apologized to "anyone who found it offensive." But as the old playoff tagline said: History was made. "We had been doing this since last November but that tweet really made people notice that the Kings were doing things differently," said Hankins. The director of digital media for the Kings since November 2010, Hankins arrived from the Minnesota Wild, where he built their digital media outreach. Remember when Cal Clutterbuck's mustache got its own Twitter feed? That was one of Hankins' last innovations before heading west. Hankins signed on with the Kings because they were pumping money into digital media: Hiring former L.A. Daily News beat writer Rich Hammond as their in-house reporter and creating novel videos on their official site. But he made it clear from the start: To find success, the Kings had to develop their own voice. "Part of the deal for me coming in was that if we're going to do this, we're going to go all-in. Be different. Be unique. In L.A., you can do that. We're the little brother of the other four or five teams here, so we gotta do something to be entertaining," he said. "If you're a different team, you can't do this. The Lakers can't. Not to the extent that we can." Pat Donahue was hired last September, having interned for the Kings earlier in 2011. "I told him, 'We're going to give you the keys to this, but we want to make sure that it's funny, that it remains snarky,'" said Hankins. Together they can tweet up to 90 items on a Kings gameday, offering news, links, snark and interacting with fans, friend and foe. "You go back to the Vancouver tweet, and that doesn't happen if we didn't have Oilers fans and Flames fans and Canadiens fans all tweeting us and telling us that we're 'Canada's team' in the playoffs," said Hankins. The duo also run the Kings' website and mobile app, and are helping other AEG teams like the L.A. Galaxy with their social outreach. When it comes to their tweets that target opponents, they will exchange emails until they find the right message and vibe. "I think most people understand that humor or they don't," said Hankins. "We know the line a little bit." While the Vancouver tweet pushed the envelope and others have aggravated other fans, the L.A. Kings digital team has support from management to continue running the feed with attitude — partly because you can't argue with the results. "It's an extension of the brand. It's supposed to be partisan. It's supposed to be fun," said Hankins. "It's no knock on any team, but the other 29 NHL teams can be pretty dry. That's why celebrities have big followings on social media and brands don't: Because there's no personality to a brand." Other NHL brands may follow in the Kings' tradition. The Blue Jackets developed their own self-deprecating brand of humor this season. The Detroit Red Wings have made noise about starting a rivalry with the Kings' feed next season. Fans across the NHL are asking why their teams can't have the same connection and personality of the Kings official Twitter — and sometimes that can be irksome for the teams they follow. "We saw the Buffalo Sabres actually get mad about us being mentioned. Something along the lines of, 'We're tired of being compared to the Kings feed. We think we do a good job on our own,'" said Hankins. "It'd be a lot more fun if every team engaged with us the way we engage with them." The Kings feed is busier than ever with tweets about the Western Conference final against the Phoenix Coyotes (including mockery of a lucky cactus), while trying to rally support for Anze Kopitar to win the EA Sports NHL 13 cover athlete poll (hence the "character assassination" of Claude Giroux). In the process, they continue to sparks laughs and connect with fans in a way that's defining how official social media platforms can be utilized. "At the end of the day, it's entertainment. Twitter's all about saying things that are funny. If you're not going to do that, then you're wasting people's time," said Hankins. |  |
Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.
• All of this has happened before, and will happen again. (via reader Jon Ward) • Dave Tippett on the keys to Game 2: "First and foremost, if you're not willing to jump in and win a few more one-on-one battles, then the tactical stuff you might as well throw out the window." [AZ Central] • Alex Semin on Dale Hunter Hockey: "The whole year it was up-and-down, we win a game, we lose a game. By the time we got to playoffs, the team finally understood how to play the game he wanted, defense first, no mistakes, blocking shots, all five guys together. But during the regular season, intensity is not the same as in the playoffs. In postseason, every goal is worth its weight in gold." [Russian Machine] • What on earth did Alex Ovechkin mean about jealousy in the Capitals' locker room? [Puck Drunk Love] • Larry Robinson will not be heading to Montreal: "Devils assistant coach and 2000 Cup-winning head coach Larry Robinson vehemently ripped a report suggesting he is interested in joining the new Montreal regime, saying that comments attributed to an agent, whom he called a friend, were five years old and that there has been no such contact or interest." [NY Post] • Raffi Torres will watch Gary Bettman deny his appeal on Thursday. [Sportsnet] • Oh, it only the Coyotes had moved to Winnipeg; then it would be the Jets making this run in the Western Conference. [QMI] • Elliotte Friedman, on Dale Hunter Hockey: "This is where I strongly disagree with statistical analysis, which mocked Hunter's system as being terrible for puck possession and, therefore, determined he was coaching a style that allowed opponents to control the game. This is one where numbers don't tell anything close to the real story. They played hard, they played together and I would've liked to see how things evolved over the offseason. If it's decided that the team must go in a different direction, there are going to be some very unhappy players. It's a delicate balance for McPhee." [CBC]
• Really insightful piece from Dave Shoalts with Scotty Bowman, who talks about how we arrived at this moment of blocked shots and collapsing defense in the NHL. [Globe & Mail] • Bourne on shot-blocking: "We let the players shoot through screens, pump-fake to drop defenders and create chances, and pass it around the guys trying to get in front of it. You know, like in hockey, where you try to score by figuring out what your opponent is doing, then out-thinking him." [Backhand Shelf] • Hockey would be so much more exciting without those pesky defensemen. [Raw Charge] • After watching Marc Savard's career end and Nathan Horton suffer multiple concussions, Cam Neely wants the equipment studied in the NHL. [Bruins Blog] • Sergei Kostitsyn would like to remain with the Nashville Predators on a multi-year basis. [Insider Smashville, via On The Forecheck] • Daniel Alfredsson on eventually becoming a coach: "I think I'd be both. I don't see myself coaching too soon. I think it takes even more time at the rink than it does as a player to prepare! (chuckles) Right now, I don't think I'm ready for that. But I like the strategic aspect of the game. I think I read the game really well. I try to talk to our coaches about things I'd like to see at times. I'm interested in how the coaches think. I like that part of it. So I think I'd be a bit of both types. I think I can also challenge guys and motivate them in different ways." [Senators] • Fare thee well, Tomas Vokoun. [Caps Insider] • Joe Thornton would like Todd McLellan back. [CSN Bay Area] • The Cody Hodgson deal and a question of character. [THW] • Matt Wagner on Todd Richards: "This move isn't just about a foundation move with the current players. It's also providing the scouting staff a better idea of what systems will be in place for next season, and helps rank and target the right players to fit that style. It helps the franchise take another step towards forming an identity, and much like the signing of Vinny Prospal to an extension, it's a move that puts people who want to win in Columbus in positions of respect and authority." [The Cannon] • Rudy Kelly envisions Shane Doan's arrival in heaven. [Battle of Cali] • Finally, here's one of the most anthropological looks at the playoff beard we've come across: A Beard By Any Other Name from Anam Siddiq on Vimeo. |  |
Jordan Staal could be a No. 1 center in over a dozen NHL cities right now. Instead, he's like Bill Hader on SNL: Brilliantly talented, the glue that holds sketches together, but rarely in the spotlight save for Stefon on "Weekend Update" because Andy Samberg and Kristen Wiig get all the airtime. (Evgeni Malkin in this case being Kristin Wiig; Sidney Crosby being Andy Samberg, as Lindsay Lohan informed us earlier in the season.) Staal has one year left on his current deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and rumors are that he wants more responsibility (re: ice time, offensive chances) with the team. Rumors were also that he could join his brother Eric with the Carolina Hurricanes, or potentially be moved elsewhere this summer. But Dave Molinari of the Post-Gazette spoke to GM Ray Shero, and he hopes to re-sign Staal and Sidney Crosby to extensions this summer:
The key issue in bringing Staal back will be the money he's seeking.
If it's top-line center money rather than a hometown discount, things could get interesting. But the bottom line is that Shero's a huge Jordan Staal fan, and rightfully has acknowledged that he's a talent you can't just replace. Does that translate into keeping Staal at all costs? It remains to be seen. Jack over on Jack Has Spoken had a really good Pens-centric look at Staal's future:
There isn't a center close to Staal's status available on the open market this summer. Were he to become available via trade, he'd be coveted. It's just a matter of whether Shero will allow that to happen. |  |
At the end of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, the Peacock had something to crow about. The 8.54 million viewers who tuned in to NBC for Game 7 between the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks gave the NHL its largest U.S. television audience for any game in 38 years. The series as a whole attracted an average of 4.6 million viewers per game on NBC and the then-VERSUS network, making it "the most-watched combined network/cable Stanley Cup involving a Canadian team ever." So there's that. It's completely, utterly getting ahead of ourselves to say that the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings will meet for the Stanley Cup in 2012, despite their emphatic Game 1 wins. But the tantalizing notion that the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 markets could battle on the NHL's biggest stage has some theorizing that the ratings could set records. But Steve Lepore of Puck The Media thinks it's time we all slow our roll on that theory in a post titled "New York and Los Angeles Are Not the Key to Record NHL Ratings, Even if Everyone Keeps Telling You It Is." Lepore's take: "Those two markets are just not at the right level to bring in record ratings at this point. It had better be a great series, or else it might be diehards only until at least Game 5." First off, let's note that local ratings are still the driving force for the NHL's national numbers. This was true in last year's Cup Final, with enormous ratings from New England moving the needle nationally. So what happens in New York and LA would determine the ratings for the U.S., in theory. Lepore's argument against the Ranger' ratings — with which we disagree — is that the media market is so crowded with baseball, the NBA Playoffs, the constant football talk and other entertainment options vying for attention that the Rangers could be swallowed up. It's true that this isn't 1994 — there isn't a Messier-level rock star on the team, and there isn't a 54-year Cup drought on the line. But if the Rangers make the Stanley Cup Final, expect New York to tune in. The city loves a winner, even if hockey is beaten by the Knicks and Yankees in the ratings. It's Los Angeles that's a bit of a mystery, he writes:
In essence, the Kings are still in the process of captivating the casual fan during this quasi-Cinderella run. Sam Flood of NBC told the Press Telegram last week that the Kings' bandwagon could fill up like the ones in Chicago and Boston:
The next two weeks as critical for the Kings' buzz should they make it through the West. Famous people are watching the games. Famous athletes are contributing to the team's momentum, like this: (Granted, the local media can't figure out the difference between the Kings and the Kings, but baby steps …) It wouldn't surprise us to see a series like this met with apathy in a lot of corners of the U.S., given the teams' style of play and the lack of a clear face and heel. Rooting against Sidney Crosby, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Vancouver Canucks draws in viewers; the lines are a little more blurred in this matchup, should it happen. (An aside: Would Philadelphia tune in to cheer on Richards and Carter against the hated Rangers?) Lepore's right: Blockbuster ratings shouldn't be assumed here. The duration of the series will go a long way in determining that, along with the amount of eyes the Kings draw in Los Angeles. The good news for the NHL is that the buzz is building - even The Hollywood Reporter is getting in on it. |  |
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It's a Tuesday edition of Marek vs. Wyshynski beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, and we're talking about the following and more: Special Guest Stars: Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic talks to us about Game 2 of the Los Angeles Kings and Phoenix Coyotes, as well as hockey culture in the desert. • In which Marek and Wysh discuss the scourge of shot blocking! • The Rangers shut down the Devils. • Ovechkin gripes after the season. • Puck Headlines and Talking Points Question of the Day:"What's your opinion of shot blocking? Friend or foe of the game?" Email your answers to puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or tweet them with the hashtag #MvsW to either @jeffmarek or @wyshynski. Click here for the Sportsnet live stream or click the play button above! Click here to download podcasts from the show each day Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or Feedburner. |
The ECHL Las Vegas Wranglers have long been one of our favorite minor-league hockey franchises, from having strippers at the game to wearing ridiculous Santa themed jerseys to promoting "Rapture Night" and the final hockey game played on Earth. (Spoiler: It wasn't.) On Monday night, the Wranglers were at it again. Returning to the ECHL Kelly Cup championship for the first time in four seasons, the Wranglers rustled up a sports legend to sound their siren at the start of Game 1: Iron. Mike. Tyson. "WRANGLUHS RULE!" There was that moment after he cranked the siren in which Tyson looked around for what to do next, and it appeared he might knock it out with a right hook. Alas, he just smiled and clapped. This isn't Tyson's first mingling with hockey, having previously met Alex Ovechkin. For those keeping score, Mike Tyson has now been on the ice longer in a Cup Final than Ovechkin. Obviously inspired by Mr. Tyson's words and deeds, the Wranglers took a 1-0 lead in the Kelly Cup with a 2-1 win over the Florida Everblades. More on the game from Naples News here. Who will the Blades call on for inspiration when the series shifts to Florida? Obviously, they need someone who can counteract Mike Tyson. Which means it has to be this guy.
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Patrick Kane is amusing when drunk, and not just because he inspires fantastic Photoshop contests. He's the kind of guy who parties with his buddies, wearing T-shirts that depicted a shirtless Kane partying in the back of a limo in Vancouver. The kind of 23-year-old whose reaction to the end of his season is to head to Madison, WI for a weekend of drunken debauchery. An NHL player whose drunken exploits, dalliances with women and occasional interactions with cab drivers have earned Kane his own department on Deadspin. He's also the guy who got stuck in a cherry-picker above the streets of Buffalo and partied with Jimmy Buffett and was absolutely sloshed at the Chicago Blackhawks' Cup parade, after he scored the game-winning OT goal to win it. We live vicariously through it, and laugh along when things get sitcom-ish -- remember the post-coital photos? Back in 2010, when the Blackhawks won, it was Kaner being Kaner, rehabilitating his reputation after cabbie incident. In 2012, after the Blackhawks were eliminated in the first round, the sports media want him to rehabilitate something else. Is it a puritanical or practical reaction? And by that we mean: Is Patrick Kane drinking himself out of Chicago? (Which, having visited the city on several occasions, is damn hard to do. Especially with the Wiener's Circle open so late for sobering up.) If you're not up on Kane's latest exploits, Deadspin pieced together a Cinco de Mayo weekend in Madison, WI, in which Kane was accused of: • Blacking out at multiple bars. • Judging women and "straight being a douche right to their faces." • Getting kicked out of a Kappa Sig party for allegedly "trying to choke a girl." • Getting into "a confrontation with a group of guys over a some supposed anti-Semitic comments." Being questioned by police about that incident. Did Kane do anything illegal during this wild weekend? Not according to police, via Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago:
His greatest crime, it would seem, is getting sloppy intoxicated in a culture where cell phones capture everything, and his media critics believe he's sullying the reputation of the Blackhawks. From Larry Brooks of the NY Post:
From Mike Imrem of the Daily Herald:
From Steve Rosenbloom of the Tribune:
From Rick Morrissey of the Sun-Times:
We'll defer to the beat writers on whether Kane's partying has adversely affected his play. No one's said that outright — yet. But Sam Fels penned this last summer (June 2011) after another Deadspin report, and it still seems valid:
If it's not about his health, the issue appears to be one of image, both Kane's and the Blackhawks'. He keeps putting himself in situations where his behavior is captured for posterity on the Internet, to the point where one can only assume it's by design; that Kane either doesn't care how he's portrayed or there's a facet of him that enjoys being the NHL's face of the lush life. For the Blackhawks … well, we can imagine there are some inherent challenges to the communications department when one of your star players turns into Joe Francis at season's end. It can even be argued that Kane's in violation of the morals clause of his SPC:
It's a nebulous part of the contract, and probably wouldn't stand, but that's the point many in the media are making: That Kane's conduct has been detrimental to the team, to the point where he ruined 8-year-old Timmy's book report because his web search returned the Deadspin story. (WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF TIMMY?!) Not everyone is marching Kane to Betty Ford. From Ree at Blackhawks O'Clock:
Midwest Sports Fans, meanwhile, are just upset he decided to party in Madison. This is a tricky one. I can sympathize with the spot the Blackhawks are in and the sportswriters pleading that Kane knock off the public intoxication. It's preachy, but I think it comes from a place of genuine concern. But I can also sympathize with Patrick Kane, whose sins including being a fit, 23-year-old famous person that like to get loaded at bars and parties, and being accused of missing practice because of a two-day hangover. Remember when TJ Oshie of the Blues missed practice and then was benched for two games because he missed practice due to, er, foibles? Thank god there's not a TJ Oshie beat on the Internet. Or a beat that covers your party nights, or my party nights. One of the greatest days I've had in years was in Vegas, in which I drunkenly walked up and down the strip, to sportsbooks and casinos, before really getting my Vegas on that evening. We've all had'em. The ultimate question is whether you're putting yourself in a situation in which you embarrass your family or employer or other proxies or whether you're just doing what millions of others do on their off time -- and that you can't control what ends up on the Internet. Luckily for me, I never assaulted a cabbie or scored a game-winning goal to capture the Stanley Cup, so no one cared. OK, I might I have done one of the two. But that's only because a defenseman deflected it on the way to the net. |  |
